Medea Plays Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (Part I)
Yeah, I survived my surgical procedure and am nearly healed from it. Well, enough with the housekeeping here. Let's get at it!
If you've followed me over 12 years ago, you know I was absolutely hooked on Tomodachi Life. Rightly so! It was fun. Does this game also spark that same joy I felt back then?
Yeah, I'm enjoying myself.
As usual, I'm doing everything in my power to get these two to get together. And I was really successful. More so here than in my old game.
First of all, Tracey also felt the same way about me as I did for him.
And he actually acted first to ask me out with literally the best way of doing so. I never thought of us being a better pairing than spaghetti and meatballs, but color me impressed that he said so.
I guess I did the right thing by adding a bunch of gays, lesbians, and children to not try to muck up my chances of having Tracey be with my mii.
Although, I made the big mistake of adding my mother to the game. And she fell for Tracey.
NO! NO! NO! MOTHER, NO! STOP! GO BACK! TURN AROUND! YOU ARE NOT FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY GAME HUSBANDO!
Tracey liked it and so he put a ring on it.
Just like in the original game, you do have to assist the mii in marriage proposal. In this game, you have to clear all distractions to get to your true love and what you want to say. Be successful and you'll have your dream wedding.
It's definitely my kind of dream wedding. I'm married to Tracey. My mom is there. Homer Simpson is in the audience. As is Penny Proud. And my best friend Marcus is singing while dressed as a hamster.
Yep, exactly how I would picture my own wedding.
And even better, the honeymoon they randomly gave us was the best choice. A European vacation including Venice. I hit the jackpot.
Back to Marcus in the hamster suit.
Marcus REALLY loved that hamster costume. It's been two weeks since I gave it to him and he's still freakin' wearing it. Even wearing it for my mom's birthday.
Back to the wedding for a smidge. Unfortunately, this game does not come with a music hall where you can create lyrics for the miis to sing. More unfortunate is that whenever there's an occasion (outside of a birthday), the miis don't sing lyrics, they just go "fu fu fu fu" the whole time. Sucks when you have both Retsuko and Prince living on your island.
Yeah, that's upsetting. First of all, I can't have the children of the island sing about how they're mutants and are only here because the condom broke. Yes, that was an actual song I wrote in the original game. Add to that thick layer, this game there is no filter.
Wait, no filter?
That's right, no fucking filter.
The miis can say all kinds of horrible things.
I gotta say I'm enjoying designing these miis to make them look like their originals. I was pretty successful with Carl from ATHF. Paulie from The Sopranos is okay. I just couldn't get his hair the way I wanted.
But it hasn't been all sunshine, fucks, and farts in that category. I do have to criticize here. They really should have transferred the wigs from Miitopia to this game. I was able to do a lot of cooler designs on Miitopia for characters like Grell Sutcliff, Piers, and Washu. Here, they're okay, just not the greatest.
And no more frustrating than trying to make a Raymond mii. In Miitopia, you're able to customize both eyes in case your character has heterochromia. Here, nope!
Let's talk about food!
Your miis get hungry. They gotta eat too. And this game has definitely added a lot more food items than in the original game. But if they don't have the food you want, that's where the Palette workshop comes in. You can make your own. Like I did with the ginger ale.
Medea loves her ginger ale.
Now, I haven't seen a lot of ecstacy moments or poisoning moments just yet.
Sweet Polly ended up with a bit of bad luck with a green pepper. Apparently for the absolute worst, your soul leaves your body.
However, there was redemption as Sweet Polly parted the sea to tell the world that scrambled eggs was the best of all time.
And then there was the time I gave Drew some chili prawns.
And apparently, dude went all Yuri on Ice over it. I'm enjoying this way more than I should.
I'm slowly trying to create things in the Palette workshop. I have ideas for pets and some treasures. Food, it might not be a lot of things. I did make a Homer Simpson staple with the pink donut. I'll probably add important food stuffs like special pizzas and foods involving green chile.
I can create television programs for them to watch.
I knew there was a way I could get Meatwad in this game.
Then, we have some island lingo. Occasionally, miis will ask you personal questions. In this case, Grell asked me what's something you don't like to be asked or something like that.
You can give the miis different topics or items they can talk about. Dale Gribble will happily talk about guns.
But Homer here decides to corrupt young minds. Hey, Homer! Lana is still a child. What the hell would she know bout wine tasting?! Then again, Homer does some questionable shit in this game already.
Like taking Penny Proud to Vegas. Sir, I question your everything in this game. I laugh about it. But still question it regardless.
I think that's all I'm going to cover in this segment.
Medea Played Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (demo)
You are not seeing things. I am posting. This here gave me enough life before real life sets in again.
Yeah, I'm still on a bit of a hiatus on here. I will return to giving anime reviews one day. I had a bit of a health scare and long story short, I'm going in for surgery this week. I think I'm over being scared. I just want this procedure done so I can rest, recover, and get this fucking game on April 16th.
I was hoping for a demo for this game. Miitopia got one. The only drawback I saw with this demo is that I wanted to prepare by creating all the miis I want to put on my island. In Miitopia, I was able to prepare ahead of time. But, whatever! Let's name our isl...
Medea still has no goddamn creativity outside of a gen 1 pokemon game.
Yeah, my mii looks a little different from 10 years ago. I'm sporting a new hairstyle these days and yes, I am getting kinda salt-and-peppery hair color going on.
We get our usual food store so you can buy things for your mii to eat. So far, she likes eggs and butter cookies. Two things I can't eat until after this friggin' surgery. Ack, I hate real life sometimes.
My mii got lonely.
GEE, I WONDER WHO I'M GOING TO ADD TO THIS ISL...
I'm quite proud of how I made Tracey.
That's right. Get acquainted.
Better than real life.
Live reaction of my dumbass face watching this knowing I wrote a bajillion fanfics focusing on them doing this sort of thing.
ArtStudentshipping is here bitches. We talked about drawing and the rest is history.
I got to see inside Tracey's dreams. This was such a terrible thing to do. But then again, there are a lot of dreams where we do terrible things to the miis.
I do appreciate getting to be like that random hand you see from time to time on Spongebob. I'm getting a good chuckle so far.
Yes, games are back. I played with my mii a game of heads or tails. I won.
Apparently, a J-pop album. And then...
Does anyone else hear that saxophone solo from Careless Whisper?
Yeah, I definitely hear it.
YES! YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!
MORE OF THIS! MORE OF THIS!
GET MY MII TO MARRY THIS MII!
MAKE MUTANTS TOGETHER!
End of demo.
Crap. That's the end.
Obviously, I'm buying this. And if and when I'm feeling up to it, I will post shit-posts to it like I did back in the day.
And hopefully post that Panty & Stocking review, right?
It's 2025 and I'm Still Alive! Okay, You Know What Time It Is!
After last year’s disappointing everything, this year was…also bad, but definitely not like 2024. Seriously, a day, barely a day after putting my yearly post out and the second most important person in my life dies. I am not over it. I will never be over it. And I miss her. Actually, several close people died last year and it really took a toll on my mental well-being. Yes, it has affected my interest in what I do here. You notice my lack of reviews here, right? That’s why. Well, not entirely.
There’s just some animes I choose to review and those that I feel like I don’t have a lot to say at all. There’s the usual shounen trash animes. Everyone knows who they are and I have absolutely nothing to say. There are those animes that show up literally every two to six years and get progressively worse. One Punch Man and Shield Hero, I’m looking at you. There are those sweet anime like Mono and Akebi’s Sailor Uniform that are just visually stunning and all kinds of fun, but feel like, I don’t know what to say. Very forgettable ones I added randomly like literally anything Sentai Filmworks licences. And then there are the older animes I pick up randomly like Looking Up at the Half Moon and Gakuen Alice. I have scattered thoughts, but no drive to want to write about it. Although with Gakuen Alice, I keep wanting to due to my ever-growing hatred for one particular character. That’s what I’ve been looking at randomly this year.
Moving on, you know how this goes. If there’s an anime I watched or a game I played this year (2025), it qualifies for the list. So, if I watched something that was made in a year where there wasn’t a crippling government shutdown, it totally counts. Okay, let’s get at it.
First Fandom of 2025: Anne of Green Gables/Anne Shirley
I was finishing up the original Anne of Green Gables at the start of this year. Come April, the new series Anne Shirley started and I’m hooked once more. I got the golden opportunity to watch everything involving this girl including her time before Green Gables and even what happens after Green Gables. Do I have good timing or what? It’s a light-hearted story of an orphan girl getting adopted by an old pair of siblings and just watch her grow up into a young lady. Nothing flashy, just nice, wholesome Canadian novels up on the screen.
Favorite Main Character of 2025: Scarlet from May I Ask for One Final Request?
Scarlet is one of those characters that proves one thing. Yes, I do have a type when it comes to women. She’s that type. And the second I watched her kick everybody’s ass at a party, I knew she was going to be my favorite. While this story is all over the place in terms of powers people possess, political climates, and goddesses causing mayhem everywhere, Scarlet remains true. If you cross her, she will kick your ass. If you are doing something wrong and totally illegal, she will kick your ass. If you fuck with her friend, she’ll kick your ass. If you possess her potential love interest, she will kick both of your asses. I like that. Simple enough.
Favorite Villain of 2025: Shenmei from The Apothecary Diaries
This bitch right here. I know Lady Lihua’s cousin Shin was a really good contender. But good Lord, is this woman just pure evil. Let’s put to the side her going above and beyond to be an atypical step-mother to Suirei. Actually, no. We can’t. Shenmei was so goddamn evil, she wouldn’t even give Suirei the courtesy of using her actual given name. She groomed her daughter to do her bidding. She manipulated her husband to do her bidding. She wrecked many families by tearing them apart. Shenmei is just awful.
Favorite Video Game Character of 2025: Felix from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Gabriel, you’re my game husband, I love you, you’re the cinnamon rolliest of cinnamon rolls… But Felix is just G.O.A.T. Is Felix a marriage candidate? No. That would be hella weird. But he is the mayor of the town you roll into. Compared to some of the other mayors from the SOS games, this guy is like top-tier the best and most memorable. I want to give credit to his voice actor too. I think that contributed to Felix’s likeability. I don’t know about you, but his over-the-top behavior was a plus.
Favorite Video Game of 2025: Hello Kitty Island Adventure
WHY THE HELL DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR THIS GAME TO GET ON SWITCH?! Yeah, I know the answers and I can accept it to a degree. Look, I can honestly say I was never into Hello Kitty or the Sanrio characters. Not hate them, but just kinda look the other way at something else. I’ve only been gradually doing this throughout the years. Watching Retsuko helped a lot. Being introduced by coworkers to the awesomeness of characters like Kuromi and Chococat were also helpful. I have a lot of Hello Kitty loyals at work. As for the game itself, I always find myself logging in every day and finding something to do no matter what. And I just enjoy myself.
Favorite Het Couple of 2025: Kudou x Miyo from My Happy Marriage
No matter what happens to these characters, they will always find their way back to each other, help each other out, and of course, love each other. These two going further in their relationship is just adorable to watch as they start to kiss and even share a bed together. That’s all.
Favorite Yuri Couple of 2025: Lilisa x Otoha from Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
I didn’t really watch any true yuri animes this year. So, this year’s choice has to be one that may or may not be a thing. Honestly, Lilisa could go either way. Otoha’s a freak. Everyone knows it.
Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2025: …
Um, wow. I thought my well for the yuri category was dry. There is absolutely nothing down here for the yaoi category. I have to dig deep and see if I find an anime where there’s even an inkling or a whiff of something. Wait, there is something I finished at the beginning of the year. The anime is pretty old, but I think people can agree with me here.
Killua x Gon from Hunter x Hunter
I don’t care if Gon’s going to hook up with some random girl from his hometown. This bro-ship is where it’s at.
Fandom That You Didn’t Expect to Get Into: Call of the Night
I have a long-standing hatred for anything having to do with vampires. Only a few things have been able to make me enjoy the genre like Castlevania and Hellsing Ultimate. But then there were BAD titles that make me want to kill the undead genre knowing it’s physically impossible. Call of the Night has been fun to say the least. I’m intrigued with the story of a boy who wants to become a vampire by trying to fall in love with one. I only finished season one and that was pretty solid, so my reason only stops there.
Plus, you love all the songs by Creepy Nuts, don’t you?
Yes, all the songs by Creepy Nuts here are bangers.
Fandom That Made an Unexpected Comeback: NEW Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt
Unexpected isn’t even the word I want to use here. Holy shit, am I stunned that this returned at all! The way they left the show hanging since 2010 it was almost near impossible that we would ever see the day. And I think they’re going to leave us to get cigarettes again after the season finale. Regardless, it came back and I literally wasn’t expecting it until Amazon aired it. And I loved every second of it. Studio Trigger did a great job with the animation and I even grew on the new dub Amazon did. Too bad Amazon did what it did to make me lose respect for them moreso, but that’s a story for another day.
Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: NEW Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt
Fast and Furious but with sperm. TMNT rip-offs but in the funniest way imaginable. A La-La-Land style episode where one of the songs is just “Fuck”, “Bitch”, and “Cunt” over and over. A homoerotic transformation scene that makes the homoerotic transformation scene from Sarazanmai look normal. Social media taking a whole ugly turn. A Yu-Gi-Oh style card game featuring ugly bastards. The best Home Alone parody in over three decades. And yes, a last-minute finale with a twist that shakes the audience to its core in WTF-ary, and yet doesn’t surprise them because you know the show. Can’t wait to see this return when I’m 54. Seriously guys, please don’t wait another 15 years.
Last Fandom of 2025: Ranma ½
Yeah, I’m still a Rumiko nut. It’s an enjoyable romp and everyone who watches can agree. I find it funner seeing characters like Shampoo, Mousse, and Ukyo getting their much-needed spotlight. We get all the screwy comedy and silly hook-ups it’s known for.
…
Sure, let’s do another random superlative this year.
A Character I Hate a Little Less This Year: Detective Harrison Yates from South Park
We all know this guy. We all laugh at and hate this guy at the same time. It’s a South Park character after all, you’re going to laugh from time to time. All the while, never forgetting the terrible things he’s done including planting evidence on innocent black people, feeding innocent black people to an unspeakable beast, and other racist shit. But dude gets praise from me today. In a very roundabout way, he did find Cartman after he was kidnapped. And he did arrest Peter Thiel and Pete Hegseth.
Best Conspiracy Theory of the Year: JD Vance Killed the Pope
You know he did. That man is a walking disaster.
The REAL Best Comeback of the Year: King of the Hill
You know it is! Ho yeah! No matter what other sequel came out this year, this was still the best one to come out.
Just Stop It Award: It’s a tie! Hate-players of Pokemon Legends Z-A and People Saying “6, 7”
Just fucking stop, the both of you! First of all, the game wasn’t that bad. Stop making it out as the worst thing Pokemon has ever put out. And as for the whole 6-7 shit. Unless you’re telling the legendary why is six afraid of seven joke, just stop it. It’s stupid and no one gets it.
Fuck You to the Moon and Back Award: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
I don’t want to share any pictures of RFK Jr., so I’m using this to be mean again. Yeah, you thought I was going to hit Trump up with this, but I just really hate this guy so much. His whole crusade against vaccines and attacking the autism community with the most bullshit claims are a given. But the fact that he’s the reason I had to look up the word “Felching” is reason enough to say, “Fuck you to the moon and back”.
Close, But No Cigar Award: Rose of Versailles
Guys, I know what you were trying to do. I admire it to a degree. You even got Caitlin Glass in the English dub and had her sing. But, Rose of Versailles really shouldn’t have been remade into a feature-length musical. You are not Les Miserables. Everybody, just watch the goddamn series.
A Posthumous Thank You: George Lowe
Thank you, good sir. I know you had big shoes to fill by playing Space Ghost who was originally voiced by the legendary Gary Owens. You nailed it. Never mind nailed it, you made 90s Space Ghost your own and shaped a lot of our warped childhoods with SGC2C and Cartoon Planet. Whenever hearing you on those shows and even ATHF and The Brak Show never failed to put a smile on my face. I’m so glad you came back to voice Space Ghost one final time on Jellystone. I will miss you.
…
…
Does that mean Brak’s the only one left alive? God, protect Andy Merrill.
So, the last part I put out, I was a little hard on Jacinthe. And I don’t apologize for any bit of it. She had it coming.
After finishing Jacinthe off and deal with yet another troublesome trio of rogue mega evos, your next promotional match is announced and a bit of an enigma.
Your next opponent is named Grisham. And you have to go on a bit of a goose-chase to track this guy down. Emma helps you and then Mable. So, you know where this is going. Team Flare.
You eventually figure out that Grisham is that barista from that one coffee truck with that mean-ass waitress. Yes, they were grunts back in the day. And they’ve kinda been given a bad rep because of their decisions from back in the day. That’s why Grisham has resurrected the name.
You get more of a nostalgia trip as you go inside Lysandre Labs.
With having the password be on par with password1234.
Once you get passed all the ruin decay, alpha pokemon, your one and only opportunity to add Beldum, and puzzles, you come across the truth.
Basically, they need a strong trainer who is adept at mega evolution, can handle AZ’s Floette, and control Zygarde at 100%. Cool, we’re pretty close to being Rank A.
AZ ends up revealing his story to you and the rest of MZ. Everyone has their thoughts on the matter and how they feel about AZ after hearing everything. Luckily, no one has turned their backs on the old man. They’re not thrilled about hearing the story, but who would be?
Soon after, you battle Grisham. You win. You are now Rank A.
My ass, you did.
Suspicions of this guy are stowed to the side when Lumiose is under siege.
Lumiose Tower looks like it’s ready to blow up with the mega energy. Meaning, there will be a lot more rogue mega pokemon roaming around.
Vinnie meets us near the epicenter and because you and Urbain are both A-ranked, we have to decide who’s going to take on this giant mission. You hand Urbain’s ass to him in battle. So…
Nani?
Girrrrrrrl, shut the fuck up.
Orphan shit aside, you’re a dick. I was just trying to enjoy my time here in Lumiose. But not five minutes off the train do you come in trying to get me to do shit for you. You’re the only rival of any Pokemon game to get not one, but two starter pokemon. Like you’re fucking special. Bitch, you ain’t. I don’t buy that shit that you’re at Rank A with me. Not one bit. You barely showed your flex by battling me throughout the game. And when you’re helping me during the rogue mega showdowns, you’re literally no help at all. Naveen and Lida at least have an excuse of not having a mega evolved pokemon at their disposal. Not you, you have at least one by the time we do all of that. Let’s add to this shit pile, having me and Lida shoulder your debt to the Rust Syndicate. And now, you can’t quietly shut the fuck up and admit your defeat after I once again handed your ass in battle. Hau shut up in Sun & Moon. Gary did too in all the gen one remakes. You should kindly do the same.
I think I got what I wanted out.
Like it or not, Urbain and Floette go to the top of the tower. Floette uses her powerful move. And things do not go well.
The tower has mutated. Parts of the town are surrounded in debris and destruction. Pokemon all over town are mega evolving.
Sure, let’s have a strategy meeting.
So, you pretty much have to go through an obstacle course to meet up in certain areas.
Ivor, Canari, Grisham, their friends and allies, Lebanne, and eventually, yes Jacinthe all help you battle the overpowered rogue megas and get you on your way.
I just could have done it without Canari’s sketchy grandfather making me go through scaffolding paradise during that time.
Finally, we reach Corbeau and has his men make a human ladder for you to get up the building.
It’s all for you!
Guys, Corbeau is fine. He didn’t go out like that lady in The Omen. DO NOT GO BACK DOWN! He gets mad at you if you do. Go back down three times and he’ll make your ass stay up on the building. Corbeau don’t play.
Lysandre and Zygarde await your arrival. Because now it’s time to battle an out of control 3000-year-old mechanism, with a rouge evolved pokemon attached, and a building as well. You battle on the ground while Zygarde at 100% hits it with its ground and dragon attacks once every so often.
After that part of the battle, that rock Zygarde gave you earlier in the game turned out to be a mega stone. So, you can mega evolve Zygarde.
Okay, this is where you are now. The day is saved. Urbain and Floette survived. A good chunk of the city is a wreck. That tower is fucked. Seriously, where the hell is Clemont and Bonnie?!
And AZ died. Yeah, the last couple of times you see him, he wasn’t doing too well.
That’s the end of the main story. Now for post-game stuff.
As you are at Rank-A, here’s the opportunity to continue battling. Pretty much the same setup. You earn points to get a promotional match and go to Jett’s company to pick a match at complete random.
The only one that’s the same regardless is when you battle Urbain. That’ll be the 15th and that’s when you can finally get Floette.
And eventually, you’ll be trapped in Hell with Jacinthe. Thankfully, I didn’t get caught in that rabbit hole just yet.
Another big thing is to catch the two legendaries from X and Y
In the recent updates, you get your chance to go with Emma and chase down Diancie
When you return to Hotel Z, “L” challenges you to a battle and after you beat him, he has you go to Wild Zone 20 so you can take on Zygarde. And then, he can continue to wander the earth for 3000 years.
It’s not so much having your pokemon trying to beat Zygarde. Seriously, level 99 Clefable is pretty fucking boss here. It’s worrying about dying when Zygarde unleashes its attacks. Especially when it’s at it’s 100% form. So, kinda watch out for that.
And of course, finishing up Mable’s requests. It is daunting if you really want that shiny charm. Although, a lot of gamers have been having a lot of luck finding shiny pokemon regardless. I got lucky the other day finding a shiny Fletchling.
That is essentially it (for now). Come December, I’ll have more to say when the DLC arrives.
The fandom is split on this one. You either love it or hate it. Taunie is either a nice piece of ass or just straight-up ass. The new trio is either better than Tierno, Shauna, and Trevor or just a why even bother existing. It either exceeded all of your expectations or you expected nothing and are still disappointed.
Me, I’m fine with it. Not bad, but not great. It’s less intimidating than Arceus was. While the majority of the fanbase thinks that Arceus was a better game than Z-A, I agree with that. But that game also felt so unforgiving. Probably the time period you were in and also how you were more prone to death. Here, you can survive falls thanks to your Rotom phone. Arceus phone never saved you. It just watched you blackout and lose your items. There weren’t any special plushies to help you not faint when you take a direct hit from scary weather-controlling pokemon. But pokemon still do attack you more than they do your own pokemon. That part hasn’t changed.
I still enjoyed myself playing this game. When it comes to Pokemon revisiting different places, this one isn’t that bad. I thought the concept of the location being only in Lumiose when there are other parts of Kalos worth looking at was going to be a bad direction. It still worked well. Lumiose is a big fucking city. It’s not like you’re stuck in a place like Newbark Town in Johto.
Honestly, I think people are just hating for the sake of hating. Seriously, guys. Cut it out. You realize Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl exist, right?!
Okay, that’s all for me until the DLC comes out. Take a breather.
Ever since hitting Rank F, getting to your next promotional match has been a bit of a hassle. With Canari, you had to battle against obnoxious fanboys and be catfished by an obsessed grandfather. With Ivor, you had to go on a wild goose chase for his sister in Lumiose’s answer to the Court of Miracles. No gypsies, just sewer pokemon. And now you have the mafia breathing down your neck.
Corbeau and the Rust Syndicate are scary gentlemen who make sure you do as they say or else.
Or are they?
Actually, they have you do odd jobs around town.
While doing an unpaid mission for Corbeau, you come across this familiar face. There’s a lot of callbacks from Arceus. Not just at the museum, but take a good look around Corbeau’s office. With all of the callbacks to Legends Arceus, I’m starting to fear for the worst with the upcoming DLC. I really don’t want to deal with Volo or Giratina again any time soon.
As you continue to work for Corbeau, you see he isn’t all bad. His intentions are downright noble. He’s just a cutthroat business man. Corbeau also has an undying respect for Lysandre. Not for the genocide he was going to commit, but for helping him out when he was younger.
Corbeau even helps out when Urbain and CEO Jett are accosted by an angry crowd. With the massive influx of both wild zones and wild rogue mega pokemon, the town is not happy with what’s happening nor the excuses that the company has.
Eventually, Corbeau takes a liking to you. You battle him in the promotional match. You win. You go up one rank. You no longer have to shoulder Urbain’s debt. Urbain’s interest is paid off by a free night at the hotel for Corbeau.
Next up…
This arc.
First of all, I don’t ever want to hear the word “connoisseur” in a Pokemon anything unless Dento-fruit is involved. He is not involved here, so fuck all the way off.
Second, this maid has got to be related to Ult from Pokemon Horizons. It is too much of a coincidence to have those two be introduced this year and have them look so eerily similar.
Third and most important…
I don’t fancy Jacinthe too much.
No, I don’t fancy you too much, child.
You think you’re cute. You think you’re fine.
You’re always trying to steal my shine.
Get off of me. Don’t mess with me.
You know who you are.
If you know these lyrics, then you listened to a lot of Destiny’s Child songs from the early 2000s and I respect you for it.
Bottom line, I do not fancy Jacinthe.
First, there’s forcing Lebanne to be her personal attendant for losing a Pokemon battle to her.
Like she’s your own personal Spongebob.
Serious note. I swear to God, if Lebanne and Ult are related and Jacinthe ripped this family apart, Imma hate her even more.
Then, there’s holding everyone captive until you do this tournament. And even when you and Urbain leave because, you know, you’ve got other shit to do, she still follows you.
You see that? Look at this shit. Pops up out of nowhere and invades a strategy meeting. Who does that? Witchcraft, I tell you.
Constantly stalking us while we’re trying to deal with rogue megas roaming around Lumiose. And God forbid if this bitch even helps us deal with that. No, you’re stuck carrying the heavy load because Urbain’s worthless ass can’t mega evolve in battle.
And then, she traps you in her wild zone. Not just that, but sends some of her SBC hired goons to battle you. And her rabid dog maid as well.
Dude, we were going to return to your bougie-ass hotel for your delusions of grandeur competition. If you could just tear away from your narcissistic behavior for five seconds to realize that there are bigger problems to deal with than you. SHIT.
But of course, this bitch gotta be the number one seed and not participate like everyone else. Like she’s Novak Djokovic or some shit.
Once more, you find yourself re-battling Canari, Corbeau, and He-Man Himbo over here. But then, a surprise challenger comes in right as you’re about ready to take out Jacinthe.
“L” comes in with Zygarde. Another warning from him about what’s been going on in the city. And then you have to battle Zygarde at 50% this time. You win.
Okay, we good? Can I please take this bitch out?
Yes? Great then.
But then, Jacinthe does the worst crime of them all.
THIS COTTON-CANDY-ASS BITCH GOT TO MEGA EVOLVE HER CLEFABLE BEFORE I COULD WITH MY OWN MISSY!
You know what? Imma let Missy give her the finishing blow regardless of mega evolving.
So, that’s that. I go up a rank after beating Little Miss Priss with my Little Miss Missy. Eat shit, Jacinthe.
Immediately after winning against Jacinthe, I can finally purchase the mega stone I need for Clefable to evolve.
First of all, I’m happy that Clefable was even considered to be given a mega evolution. Truly touched. And giving them the added flying-type is pretty cool too. I’m just thrown off by the top part of the head. And I’ve heard just about everything people have called it. I think I prefer the “Grandma Hair” comment more than anything else. I’m not too fond of her being called “Pompompurin”. And if you call it an emoji poop…
I can’t be responsible for what happens to you next.
Now, you are one rank away from becoming the top trainer.
But worry still looms all around. Lumiose tower seems to be the epicenter to the mega energy. AZ seems to know. As does “L”. The sins of the past are about to arise in the present.
Pfft. WHAT?!
Fuck the sins of the past. This is the sins of fucking now! Mega Starmie is a crime against nature. This should not be. Have you seen the way it walks. That’s the shit of nightmares. This is on par with if you gave Mr. Mime a mega evolution and it ends up looking like Pennywise the Clown.
I know this was an easy win against this creepy mega, I don’t want to see Starmie ever again.
Medea, did you know there’s a Starmie cult in the game?
Do what now?
Oh shit, I joined the Heaven’s Gate cult by mistake.
This was…a random pickup. Let’s just say I caught a certain something earlier this year that kept me from going to work for a week. And it was my very first time getting the infectious fucker! So, I binge-watched this one. Plus, I do have a soft spot for rock music and high school settings doing anything in the music and art department.
Lilisa Suzunomiya attends an all-girl’s academy filled with daughters to wealthy parents, politicians, dignitaries, etc. Suzunomiya is technically not a nepo-baby. Up until a year ago, she was living a normal life. But then her mother got married to a new person, became a Suzunomiya and essentially threw her old life in the trash. Including her love of rock! One day, she bumps into fellow classmate Otoha Kurogane causing Otoha to lose a beloved guitar pick. Lilisa picks it up and ends up going to an abandoned building close to campus to find Otoha playing the drums. Lilisa swore off playing the guitar for the good of her new family and to protect her mother’s standing in this new world of hers.
To anyone watching Lilisa and Otoha jamming out, it was a toe-tapping, head-banging experience. But to these two, their ladylike behavior goes right out the window and they turn into a more heated fight than you would see during a Sex Pistols rehearsal. Halfway into the series, we are introduced to the two other bandmates we see in the opening theme. Tina Isemi is someone jumping into rock music and the keyboard blindfolded, but it’s something she wanted to do and not be told to do it. And as for Tamaki Shiraya (or Shiro), she’s a bassist by heart, but is pretty good on the guitar. It’s just that she lives by a high standard when it comes to music. All four of these girls together…it’s a work in progress.
BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Sentai Filmworks has picked this one up. An English dub has recently come out with Luci Christian playing Lilisa. With that casting choice alone, the anime got 25% cooler. I do have to give it up for the main cast in Japan as they really went above and beyond as Otoha and Lilisa. Keep in mind, while this anime is a musical, neither character sings. Their group is strictly no singing. I’m referring to how Otoha and Lilisa are after a jam session. I admire voice actors and their work especially when they hit ranges I don’t expect from them or their characters. I get so impressed when they pump it to the max and go above and beyond when it comes to certain scenes. Lilisa’s voice actress especially impresses me when she goes from quiet and nice to just she-devil with a guitar. Love it! Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.
JAPANESE CAST:
*Lilisa is played by Akira Sekine (known for Anna on From Bureacrat to Villainess, Young Ichijou on Nisekoi, and Mei on Oshi no Ko)
*Otoha is played by Miyuri Shimabukuro (known for Young Yuki on Fruits Basket 2019, Inca on Fire Force, Carole on Carole and Tuesday, and Hanazawa on Tsurune)
*Tina is played by Ayaka Fukuhara (known for Sayaka on Kakegurui, Rin on Idolm@ster: CG, and Kamiya on Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie)
*Shiro is played by Natsumi Fujiwara (known for Ult on Pokemon Horizons, Young Sanosuke on Rurouni Kenshin 2023, Damian on Spy x Family, Theo on 86, Keel on Shield Hero, and Tooru on Tokyo Ghoul :re)
ENGLISH CAST:
*Lilisa is played by Luci Christian (known for Hiro on Fruits Basket 2019, Huni on Ouran HSHC, Nami on One Piece, Yukari on Azumanga Daioh, Nagisa on Clannad, Uraraka on My Hero Academia, and Reg on Made in Abyss)
*Otoha is played by Natalie Rial (known for Kana on Oshi no Ko, Nazuna on Call of the Night, Momo on To Love Ru, Rui on Domestic Girlfriend, and Himari on Chained Soldier)
*Tina is played by Karlii Hoch (known for Harley Quinn on Isekai Suicide Squad, Nao on Food Wars, Mero on Plus-Sized Elf, and Hinako on From Bureacrat to Villainess)
*Shiro is played by Annie Wild (known for Eleina on Lazarus, Maaa on Made in Abyss, and Hatsuka on Call of the Night)
FAVORITE CHARACTER: I can’t deny it. I like Tina. I do find Lilisa and Otoha a bit endearing at times due to how they act after a performance. Shiro puts me off a little too much than she really should. But I really liked this character. Much like Lilisa, she does put on an act for her parents and those around her at school. But she really wants to find herself and find something she herself enjoys instead of impressing everyone around her.
SHIPPING: Soooo…they’re all lesbians, right?
Genuinely asking here as the fan art tells me so and a lot of the fans agree. I mean, I feel the heat between Lilisa and Otoha, but…I think that’s all.
Yeah, I think it’s just the fandom putting women together for no reason whatsoever.
ENDING: Lilisa has enjoyed her time getting back into playing the guitar and playing different gigs. The last gig came with somewhat mixed results. That’s putting it mildly. After that performance, no one cheered or clapped. But that doesn’t stop Lilisa as she’s still motivated to play. Still as a secret! One day at school, Lilisa gets a random encounter. All of a sudden, Lilisa has a run-in with a former student who graduated several years prior. This former student was given the special title known as “Noble Maiden”. Lilisa has been going on and on about wanting to be the noble maiden since episode one. It’s so that she can bring pride to the Suzunomiya name and so that her mother would be set.
Yayoi Takayanagi graduated six years ago. She had the grades, the charisma, and the money that would make her the number one girl on campus. Add to that, a hell of a harp player. But Lilisa got a bit of a slap in the face when Yayoi admitted that she quit playing the harp after high school due to her parents telling her she should quit. That’s when Yayoi told Lilisa to enjoy her fun with the guitar while she can. And, Yayoi is right. Can any of you fully admit that the things you did in high school for fun you still do? If you do, I am very proud of you. Most of the stuff I did for fun like drawing and acting, I wound up stashing to the side for…well, mostly self-conscious reasons. Unlike Lilisa, I do have a mother who will constantly try to get me to feel good about the stuff I love. Can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’m at a museum trying to enjoy myself and my mother poking me at every exhibit going “You can paint that”. I know she means well, but it’s fucking annoying.
But I SEVERELY digress.
Another thing that Lilisa started to strive for since playing the guitar again is to play at an event called Fuji Rock. During the series, Lilisa performed for a crowd twice. Once with just Otoha when they were hired to play for an instrumental band. And the second was when they added Tina and Shiro. That performance was…interesting to say the least. There were a lot of mess-ups, Tina is still clearly new at this, and Lilisa was definitely feeling intimidated. As I said not too long ago here, no one clapped for their performance. The audience just stood there in stone silence.
Despite all of that, the manager of that club they played at was willing to give them another shot. Only if they were able to play against another band in a sort of a band battle. In that immediate second, a band shows up. An all-boy band! Rich boys from college with a huge fan base due to their streams online. These guys are like knock-off prototypes you would see in male-oriented idol shows. Lilisa really found them annoying and was ready to take them down a peg. Now, there’s pushback here as Lilisa is the only one who really wants to do this. Otoha is turned off due to the fact that she only wants to play for fun.
Come the day of the performance, Lilisa and the others are more prepared than they were during their last performance. Everyone’s outfits matched this time, everyone’s a little more honed in their craft, and they finally have a name for themselves. Yeah, 13 episodes later and we finally have a name. Keep in mind, half the series was just Otoha and Lilisa jamming in the music room. It’s “Rock Lady”. Now, were they able to do better than their previous performance? Hell yeah. They blew the roof off that mother! I know they’re at a disadvantage being an instrumental rock band. Usually, the vocalist would be the main focus. Here, all four girls are equally focused on. And despite the crowd clearly there for the other group, they were easily won over to Rock Lady. More to the point, nobody even cared when the boy group came up and started playing. And these are their groupies!
Bacchus was not happy by that. And yes, I see the irony of having the group named that with the same pronunciation as “Baka”! They left the stage in the middle of their opening song, threatened to out the girls by putting up the performance online, picked a fight with Lilisa, and almost punched her in the face. Let’s also not forget their frontman almost punched Lilisa’s step-sister Alice before the show. Thankfully, they were put in their place. Otoha’s bodyguard stopped Lilisa from being harmed.
All four girls rightfully insulted and flipped off Bacchus (yes, even sweet Tina).
The only footage of the girl’s performance was destroyed preventing Tina and Lilisa from being outed. And the manager laid down the law and kicked them out for good. Meanwhile, Rock Lady got an encore performance. The audience asked and they shall receive. Otoha has been wondering if she should continue or stay in that music room by herself playing the drums. But it seems she’s really enjoying this new arc to her own rock story.
Wow, this has indeed been one wild ride and I enjoyed it. And I would be mighty pissed off if this one didn’t receive a second season in the future. Only for the reason that so many things that’s been established never get seen through. Obviously not, there’s not enough time for a 13-episode season and the girls are still in their first and second years of high school. But Lilisa still needs to progress further with obtaining the title of “Noble Lady” at school. Also, there’s still a layer of mystery when it comes to Lilisa’s past. The anime never specified who that man was with Lilisa playing the guitar when she was younger. I just assumed it was her father just by the way Lilisa’s mother acts when someone mentions to her about the past. And let’s not forget that Lilisa wants to play at that Fuji Rock festival. I know that’s a long way away, but still. Plus, I want to see if Rock Lady truly stays an instrumental rock band or if they wind up with a vocalist. One thing I’m glad I got to see before the season finished was Lilisa and her step-sister Alice bonding and getting along. I had my reservations about Lilisa fitting in with the new family, but am satisfied seeing Alice warming up to her older step-sister.
But, this has been fun for me. I’m glad I picked this up on a whim during my brief illness. Definitely recommend this for anyone who loves rock music, musical animes, or just love to see women curse obscenely while still acting ladylike at school. All 13 episodes are up on Hidive.
After you go up in the ranks by beating Vinnie, you’re going to have to start hitting the big hitters. For starters, this streamer.
And you all know this kind of girl. The kind of girl we saw in Paldea. And a couple of times in Unova.
BUT, she’s not what you think she is. More about that later.
Yes, your next opponent for your next rank up is against Canari. The girl you’ve seen in plushie form and on a couple of shirts worn by construction workers.
And Naveen here is a total simp for this girl. He knows everything about her. But, he stays in the shadows due to…well, dude has his reasons. And I can respect him for it.
I neglected last time to talk about…
I am with Naveen on this. No. No to all of this.
Pokemon, I know what you were trying to do with this. But, NO! It looks like Randy Marsh’s constipated turd in between some croissants.
After a meeting, you are ambushed by…
10% Zygarde comes back. He battles you. He gives you a rock. But he’s not alone.
Well, hello there Lysandre. I do not want to call you L. This ain’t no Death Note.
Yes, he’s alive. I’m not surprised one bit. The anime is a different subject. I’m pretty sure anime Lysandre is dead along with Hunter J, Cyrus, and any chance of Brock getting a girlfriend.
In order to battle Canari, we have to go to an event hosted by her hologram, answer questions, deal with insufferable fanboys.
Yeah…this guy. I do not care for this man. He’s that atypical fanboy you would rather see get hit by a bus than stand next to him. In short, I think he’s a combination of two certain characters.
I feel like I’m insulting Daru, but dude kinda looks like him. But all the annoyance is totally from Bubble Bass.
Now as for another fan of Canari’s.
I ship Canari and Gwynn now.
Canari appears in hologram form. You have to answer questions given by Canari. Then you have to battle Daru and Bubble Bass’s mistake of a son. And then, you may have your promotional battle with Canari.
Or do you?
When you go to the construction company, you find out that you and everyone else has pretty much been catfished by an old man who loves his granddaughter.
Hmm…idea for a show. Do all of this, but have the reveal be Chris Hansen.
You finally battle the real Canari (after dueling with her granddad). When you beat her…
Ay-oh! You kiss your fucking mother with that fucking mouth?
Let’s take a side-quest break. A nice museum exhibit will calm me down.
Yeah, I’m going to give the finger to Kamado’s exhibit. How soon we forget about him. I didn’t. And I don’t forgive him for banishing me from Jubilife.
Amongst the exhibits, you have to find several Spewpas. You get one and make sure you don’t throw that one away. You’ll thank me for it later.
Seeing the Hisui exhibit did make me think of all that I went through in that game.
Like being chased by Alphas and evil fucking Paras. Banished from the village. Having an unstable jerk with a giga-chad Giratina try to kill you. It doesn't help that there's a chance that Volo could still be around considering he donated his clothes to the museum. God help us if he's in the DLC. Moving on.
After you finish the Canari part of the story, now is the time for the Ivor and Gwynn story.
Ivor is going to be your next opponent in the promotional battle. But not before having to find his sister Gwynn. Emma helps you out.
Ivor does too…in his own special way. He’s a “Himbo”. Not sure if I should put him in the autistic category or not. Maybe not. Maybe just him being more brawn than brain.
Seriously guy, how the hell do you do that?
Well, you find the sister. You battle Ivor. You win. You go up in rank. Ivor is billed for destruction of public property.
Himbo at his finest.
Next up is the mafia.
Urbain borrowed money from the Rust Syndicate and racked up so much interest that he now has to pay over 1,000,000 wing-wangs.
Turns out his video promoting the hotel did not get much views. Like, at all! And that’s where me and Lida have to go to the scary mobsters.
So, you go to the Rust Syndicate. You’re accosted by some low-level grunts. And then you’re fought by Philippe, who…
Looks like Gen I Cue Ball had a baby with Haystack Calhoun.
Yes, I’m having fun with these comparisons. Here’s another one.
I don’t even need to put up a picture next to this guy. Anyone can see that Corbeau is a rejected character from Tokyo Revengers.
He looks like the kind of guy who would give the order to kill Takemichi’s girlfriend.
Give him some credit as he didn’t say his occupation was in “waste management”.
Corbeau has you do favors for him. But not just yet.
He calls on you after you deal with more rogue mega pokemon.
During your time with the rogue megas, “L” shows up again.
We have to watch out for the company Vinnie and the CEO Jett run. Is there any correlation between them and the outbreak of rogues on the loose?
Let’s cover more next time.
By then, I’m sure Naveen will have…left this cursed food item on the table and eat a baguette instead like a normal person. The fuck is wrong with Urbain with this nightmare curry dish?
You all knew this was happening. Slowly but surely, I will try my best to upload these updates in my usual shitty-post way. I’m sure you all have your own opinions on this game, right?
You’re actually forming your own opinion on this game, RIIIIIIGHHT?!
RIIIIIIIIGGGGGHTTTT?!
Eh, I’m sure you are. I realize the fandom is toxic AF. I realize there have been positives and negatives of literally every Pokemon game that has been released since 2018. Mostly, airing on the negative side. Some of the negatives are pretty valid. Sword and Shield were my least favorite games. And that’s coming from someone who’s been playing these games since R/B/Y. Scarlet and Violet were better story wise, but the graphics were just glitch and ass. You have to admit that.
Now, when we got the first Pokemon Legends game, that was definitely something new, yet familiar. A lot to get used to, but was definitely enjoyable. And it gave us a lot of hope for another Legends game in the future. The most obvious being a Legends game centered in Johto, featuring Celebi. And that would make the most sense. I won’t divulge in the leaks that proves that point further, but yeah, it would have made the most sense. Come Pokemon Day 2024…
Over 18 months later and here we are.
Yeah, it took a while to get this game. GOOD! These Pokemon games should take their sweet time to give people what they deserve.
First of all, while this is a Legends game, it’s not going back in time. You are not “Isekai’d” to an ancient land that doesn’t exist anymore. You do not have to craft your own pokeballs. And you do not have to keep giving your hard-earned money to some dick-head to expand your satchel a couple of more spaces. This game is set five years since the events of Pokemon X/Y.
As my main man here says about technology, yeah it is amazing. Endless bag space. TM’s can be used over and over again. And unlike in Arceus, if you fall off someplace tall, you don’t insta-die. You just gently float down thanks to your Rotom phone (just like in Scarlet and Violet). Other stuff will kill you though. Stay out of Wild Area 8 until you’re good and ready. And we’ll get to that soon enough.
We start the game much like with S/V by choosing what our character looks like. They add the usual things we need like moles, bushy-ass eyebrows, and even dark circles to complete your 39-year-old hellscape body. From here on out, the clothes you buy at shops are pretty much open. Unlike in X/Y, girls can wear the boys gear and vice-versa. All I can say is, I’m all for pissing off certain people. It doesn’t impact me in anyway.
You arrive to Lumiose City and are greeted by a video…
Ooh, no. Nope. Not again. Sorry bitch, I do not trust you.
You meet a trainer. Depending on what gender you picked at the beginning, you either get Urbain or Taunie. In my case, Urbain. He recruits you since you’re new to town and have the tourist vibe. He’s looking for more people to the Hotel he stays at and the group he formed, Team MZ. But while you’re distracted with videos, urban boys and city life…
Your shit gets jacked.
Just like in Paper Mario, you get robbed first thing you get into town. So, you battle these guys with one of the three pokemon Urbain offers.
Much like in Arceus, you get a mixture of starters to choose from. Don’t worry, you can get the other two later in the game. Here, it’s two Johto starters and one from Unova. Cyndaquil got its chance during Arceus. Plus, I think Cyndaquil’s final evolution caused a bit of a stir when the leaks revealed its origin.
Yeah, leaks are ruining things. Or shedding a light on pedo pokemon. Haven’t decided which to believe.
Once you get your bag back, you head to Hotel Z, headed up by Mr. 3000 Years himself, AZ. I can’t even begin to comprehend anyone who seems to defy death in the pokemon world. The original anime had its fair-share of people that have been around longer than they should. Even in Pokemon Horizons, there are two people who seemed to have defied the grim reaper’s touch.
This tower of a man is a fucking enigma and we should all stop asking questions.
Aside from AZ’s return, we meet Lida. She’s a dancer like Tierno. And has face features like Tierno. And she has a big brother…Pokemon, just come out and say if she’s Tierno’s little sister.
And Naveen. He’s pretty talented with designing clothes (despite what his family has to say).
Aside from AZ’s return, is there anyone else from Pokemon X/Y to make a comeback?
Sycamore has flown the coop. Not sure if retired or just on a sabbatical. Anyways, Sycamore’s replacement is a familiar face.
Mable! Once one of Lysandre’s henchwomen, now the acting director of Sycamore’s lab. She has requests for you to take on. Pretty simple tasks really. Catch pokemon in wild areas. Evolve pokemon. Trade pokemon. Collect mega shards. Sit on benches.
Yeah, you remember benches, don’t you? X/Y was actually the first game that allowed players to actually sit down.
Don’t tell me what to do.
Actually, when you’re able to do so, you can sit and let your pokemon out and take pictures.
Despite this game only taking place in one single city, there’s a lot this place has you do.
One big thing is climbing the ranks to the battle royale. Thankfully, this game doesn’t go by time mechanics of the usual games. Day and night only last for so long much like with Arceus.
That is a good thing. Otherwise it would take me forever to play this game as I’m always knocked out by 8pm.
You have to sneak up on trainers, fight them, earn medals, and earn a special ticket that let’s you battle to go up in the ranks. Your goal is to go up to Rank A. Obviously, you start at Rank Z. But don’t worry, it won’t take that long to go up.
Next, there are side-missions. These are small missions that can range from so many different things like battling people or having a certain kind of pokemon in your party for whatever reason. These missions are given to you by…
This familiar lady right here. Yes, this is Emma. She’s in charge of the “Looker Bureau”.
Much like Sycamore, this is all we get of Looker. Xerosic too for some reason.
…
…
Ugh…I should probably address the big-ass elephant in the room.
No, I did not notice Emma’s certain ASSets in this game. Actually, the one thing everyone seems to be neglecting is that she runs like Naruto in this game. But yeah, people have been pining after this girl’s…um…
Do better, society.
And for another familiar thing…
Alphas are back.
Yes, you remember alpha pokemon. They’re bigger than normal with eyes glowing red. And if surrounded by other pokemon, it’s the strongest one there. Like I said with Arceus, if you see one of these fuckers and you’re rolling your team of level 15 up in some pokemon’s level 24 crib…
The city is full of wild zones. Occasionally, you will run into one or more alpha pokemon in these wild areas. Wild Zone 8 is a bit of a bitch if you want that precious Gible. So, if you need to bail just head to the exit as fast as you can.
Pokemon can’t leave the wild zone.
That doesn’t apply to rooftops though. Have fun getting killed by random elemental monkeys up there.
Let’s relax a bit. Just like in X/Y, there are a lot of cafes. These are great if you want to level up that friendship. You know where I’m going with this.
Medea got her Missy!
Please note: As of writing this part of this shit-post trilogy, Medea has not yet gotten her hands on the mega stone to mega evolve this best girl right here. The important thing is that Medea and Missy are together in this game and that’s just fine.
And you do have to do some dangerous things. 10% Zygarde leads you on this road of destruction. There’s an anomaly in Lumiose where pokemon that are capable of doing so are going rogue and mega evolving without a trainer and a mega stone.
Shit, I forgot this evil thing exists.
Actually, Beedrill was simple. Much like the frenzied pokemon, you do have to battle this nuclear-powered pokemon and dodge their attacks. It does help if the pokemon you have can mega evolve. Absol, you’re able to borrow a Lucario since you can’t mega evolve at that point in the game.
Once you unlock mega evolution, you can buy mega stones for certain pokemon at the stone emporium store and even trade in mega shards. Not everything is unlocked at first. It will as the game progresses. Gardevoir is the first one due to the mystery gift. The most annoying one to get is the Kalos starters since you have to do online battling and go up from Rank Z to K.
That’s just ass.
For everything else, you have to fight against the rogue mega pokemon. Most of them are manageable as long as you can mega evolve and move fast. Duck and roll. Just like what you learned in Arceus. Slowbro was tougher than some of the others due to it’s stats. But again, it was manageable. And then this mother fucker.
Banette is a jerk. You have to avoid six of these laughing assholes at once.
But I still hate Banette less than Electrode in Legends Arceus. The suicide bomber pokemon is still the biggest asshole of them all. That is just a fact.
After taking out your first rogue mega pokemon, you are going to be in contact with a fella from a company named Quasartico. This guy is named Vinnie.
Who I swear looks like “Hideaki Sorachi” the creator of Gintama.
Vinnie will eventually be your opponent for the battle royale. And due to that victory, will bump you up quite a bit.
Oh wait, that ended in 2009. That’s rather sad. So then, this is a solo project? I guess so.
As I yakked about in my previous Anne of Green Gables review, there was to be a new anime coming in 2025. New animation, new voice actors, and pretty much the same story. Opposite to the anime we’re getting, a new manga called “Anne Shirley” is currently being published. Okay, I am all for more people learning about Anne of Green Gables as there are a lot of adaptations based upon the book series written by L.M. Montgomery. And believe me, there are a lot. Most of which are mini-series made in Canada. Rightly so as this story takes place in Canada.
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are siblings and entering their golden years. Neither have married nor have had any children. As Matthew and his sister are getting on in years and upkeep around their home is getting harder with each passing year, they decide to adopt a young orphan boy. When Matthew went into town to pick up his new son, he was in for the shock of his life. His son is really going to be his daughter.
Anne Shirley has had a really interesting 11 years on this earth. For starters, both of her parents died when she was a few months old. After that, she was adopted by several different families and spent a little time in an orphanage. You wouldn’t know it by just looking at her from afar, but Anne is a bit of a chatterbox. So, Matthew sure had his hands full when he not only learned he wasn’t getting a boy orphan, but a girl who loves to gab. For you see Matthew is not good at conversation in general. And aside from his sister, he usually keeps to himself. Unfortunately, when Matthew brings home a girl, his sister was very upset by the mistake that was made. But, Marilla was quick with her decision on keeping Anne.
Throughout the series, we see Anne grow up from a talkative little girl to an intelligent young lady. She makes life-long friends like Diana, Jane, Ruby, and eventually Gilbert. Her love of romance and tragedy gives her ideas for stories she writes. No matter how old she gets, she’s still that curious girl with the iconic red hair and freckles. Just don’t insult the red hair and freckles. She will give you quite the thrashing. And it’s spelled Anne with an “e”.
BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: I hope this is a good sign for things to come for anime like this. Anne Shirley was picked up by Crunchyroll. Does it give me high hopes for other highly unlikely things to happen? Maybe. I don’t expect them to pick up the original Akage no An series from 1979. The dub to that seems to be with the Studio 100 for kid’s service. But if they could snag just the subtitled part, that would be awesome. The original series was worked on by legends of Studio Ghibli Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. So, it’d be cool if more people could watch the old series and then take a look at the new series.
Obviously, the sub and the dub are going to have different voice actors from the 1979 version. A lot of the cast from the sub have long-since retired or died. It’d be cool if they could have gotten Eiko Yamada to play someone in the reboot. I know, she’s only been called back whenever the Dragon Ball franchise put Mai in an episode. It didn’t look like they got her to play anyone, so I’ll drop the subject. As for the dub, good luck finding any kind of information about the original cast. But the sub cast here is doing a really good job so far.
And surprise, there is a dub. Thank you, Crunchyroll. Now about that Dirty Pair dub that you took crowdfunding money…
Right. Time and place. Not here. This dub is really nicely cast and mostly consisting of people I haven’t heard from in a while or people I’m not familiar with. And I am impressed with the little touches I can hear. Just pay close attention to characters when they say words like “about” and “sorry”. Canada, baby! And I know she was only in one episode but, I love how I’m still able to point out Wendy Powell’s voice in nearly everything. Like no matter what she plays, I’m still going to think she’s going to call someone a “Full-Metal Pipsqueak”. Okay, I suppose it’s time to do the usual thing here. And unlike my previous review, Gilbert kind of got a bump up to main cast. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.
JAPANESE CAST:
*Anne is played by Honoka Inoue (known for Yuru on Honey Lemon Soda)
*Matthew is played by Yasunori Matsumoto (known for Havoc on FMA, Gourry on Slayers, Hiroshi on Gravitation, and Seta on Love Hina)
*Marilla is played by Aya Nakamura
*Diana is played by Yume Miyamoto (known for Haru on Sing Yesterday for Me, Himari on Chained Soldier, Tamako on Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale, Kotobuki on Wonder Egg Priority, and Maki on Blue Period)
*Gilbert is played by Naoya Miyase
ENGLISH CAST:
*Anne is played by Monica Flatley (known for Joka on Apothocary Diaries, Uka on Honey Lemon Soda, and Madoka on A Sign of Affection)
*Matthew is played by Randy Pearlman (known for Ivankov on One Piece)
*Marilla is played by Linda Leonard (known for Kasei on Psycho Pass and Sister Theresa on Black Clover)
*Diana is played by Amanda Gael
*Gilbert is played by Corey Wilder
ANY CHANGES IN DISLIKED CHARACTERS?: I should say so. In the original series, I’ve made my reasons for not caring much for Rachel Lynde and Josie Pye. In this series, I’ve mellowed out a bit. Rachel Lynde is a really good supporting character for not just Anne, but for Marilla after Matthew dies, and when Davy and Dora move to Green Gables. Marilla and Rachel need each other. Especially after Rachel’s husband died. So, I’m glad that they’re living together. As for Josie, I didn’t see her all that much. Josie still did what she did by daring Anne to walk on the roof. Other than that, she’s not so much in the story once you decide to cover more than just the first novel. But the moments you do see her, she’s still annoying.
But I think we can all say without a doubt that Charlie Sloan is horse-shit and good on Anne for coldly rejecting his proposal.
SHIPPING: Okay, now we can finally look at the adult romances of Anne Shirley instead of going off Anne’s crazy imagination from when she was younger. Although, Anne as an adult still had a strict imagination to what she wants in a man. And Gilbert ain’t that. Yes, we do go through the slog where they both don’t talk to each other due to Anne hating Gilbert’s guts. But unlike the previous series where it lasts the entirety of the show (excluding the final episode), the little tiff only lasts 8-10 episodes. After that, they do become really good friends. It’s just that Gilbert fell for Anne faster than Anne felt anything for Gilbert.
A noted fact is that Gilbert’s father and Marilla knew each other as kids and there was a lot of talk if they were going to hook up in later years. Obviously, things worked out differently for the two. I cannot remember if this series touched upon that, but it is a known fact in the novel. So, it’s funny to hear that story and see all that’s happening with Anne and Gilbert. Later in the series, Gilbert tried to declare his love for Anne, but Anne would reject it at every turn. Aside from what her mind’s eye wants in a man, it’s pretty clear that she only sees Gilbert as nothing more than just a friend. And if they get in a relationship and it doesn’t work out, there’s always a fear that the friendship would erode as well.
Gilbert wasn’t the only rejectee here. Throughout the time Anne was attending college, she did get a lot of suitors after her as well as a few propositions. Anne’s best friend Jane practically begged her to see her brother. That moment alone might have strained Anne’s friendship with Jane. Obviously, Anne doesn’t know Jane’s brother well so, that’s a hard no. Then came Anne’s former classmate Charlie Sloan. He’s pretty forgettable until he comes in to propose to Anne. This guy started off strong in this proposal, but fell apart once Anne coldly rejected him. And that’s when he pulls that, “You’re just an orphan” and…seriously, fuck this guy.
And then came Roy Gardener. Some time after one of Anne’s rejections to Gilbert, she meets Roy. If you can believe it, she meets him on a rainy day while helping her. Anne was immediately infatuated, but it was Roy making the first moves by sending her notes and gifts constantly after meeting each other. Anne does take a chance on Roy and yes, things seem to be moving in the right direction. Nearly everyone is on board the ship of Roy x Anne including her college roommates. Marilla is not so sure (even never meeting the man). But we all know who she wants for Anne. And even after a really shaky meeting with Roy’s prestigious family, Anne got on the good side of Roy’s younger sister.
Great. Perfect. So, Anne’s perfect mate is Roy, right?
Yeah, read the ending.
…
…
Okay, the Anne x Diana stuff. Come on, it’s not romantically canon. They’re just really, really, really, really, really, really good friends. Diana and Anne find their true romantic partners by the end of the series and all that yuri stuff can be stowed away to the side.
OLD VS. NEW: I’m kinda glad that I recently viewed Anne of Green Gables. With a fresh pair of eyes, I can have a fresh view with what both animes have to offer. Let’s start with the obvious and that’s animation.
It’s no secret that I have been vocally critical about the animation to most of the World Masterpiece Theater animes. Some of the later animes really had some animation issues. Anne of Green Gables DID NOT. Probably because it had some legendary hands at the wheel before they became legends in their own right. This time around, The Answer Studio is animating this. Not many credits to their names. But as of recent, they did animate the later seasons to Tower of God as well as the latest City Hunter movie. I gotta say I am enchanted with the animation here. The opening theme is definitely one that needs to be mentioned. As for who has the better animation. Oooh, I can’t and won’t choose between the two as I will always defend hand-drawn, but also fall in love with the new animation. It’s a tie!
Pacing. Hear me out, I think the old version was a little better at the pacing. It’s almost a mortal sin saying that knowing that the 1979 version loved to take it’s time with scenes and have unnecessary songs attached to it. The new version is breezing through a lot of material. Three novels to be precise. Maybe because this version is going to cover so much, that there’s so much neglect in introducing several characters and showing their significance like Aunt Josephine, Minnie May, Minister Allen, his wife, and others. I don't even recall Aunt Josephine being seen, let alone mentioned in this entire series. That's a whole important character that's just, poof, gone! Let’s just say they breezed through 50 episodes of the original series into 10 episodes in the new series. On the positive outlook, this also means we go further into the story and see what happens after Anne and Gilbert reconcile.
The dub…The new one, hands down. Amazingly, I did not hate the English dub to the original anime as I do with a lot of other dubs to animes that were released before 1989.
Okay, I guess I wasn’t as mean as I thought I was going to be in this category. I like both Anne of Green Gables and Anne Shirley. Watch it and see for yourselves and make your own judgements.
ANNE OF AVONLEA: At the start of episode 11, it’s pretty much brand-new material to those who’ve never read the novel and only watched the 1979 anime. You all know what happened. Matthew had a heart attack and died. His money was lost due to a bankrupt bank. Marilla’s eyesight gets worse. Anne gives up going to college for now to stay with Marilla at Green Gables. And finally, Anne and Gilbert are on speaking terms, finally becoming good friends.
With that out of the way, let’s go through Anne of Avonlea. Anne becomes a teacher at her old school. Anne has a mixed bag of pupils. Some good and some in the brat category. That’s what you get when you have a kid that’s a distant relative of Josie Pye. But Anne does make an attachment to one of the kids she teaches named Paul.
Speaking of distant relatives. Marilla brings two kids to live with her and Anne. Davy and Dora are the children of a third-cousin of Marilla’s that just passed away. I can’t help but wonder if Anne never came into Marilla’s life, would she have taken on the extra responsibility of taking in these children? Anyways, these two kids are polar opposites as Dora is quiet and nice, while Davy is a little shit. And once more, I can’t help but see Anne getting stuck with taking care of twins again. Watch Before Anne of Green Gables and you’ll know what I mean.
On the subject of Anne teaching, we rarely see much coverage of her teaching at the old school house. Just a little note on that matter. And finally, Anne, Gilbert, Diana, and one other guy who will be an important part to one of the characters later (Fred) are on a committee to help restore parts of the town. Great cause, but easier said than done as Avonlea has a lot of older residents who are stuck in their own ways. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Now, I know what you might be thinking. Seeing Anne mature and seeing Anne after the events of Anne of Green Gables makes you wonder if she still acts like she did when she was 11 and first arrived in Avonlea. Yes, she does. Not as bad as dying her hair black and having it turn green, but she still has her moments. Confusing one of her animals with a neighbor’s and selling it. Accidentally using red dye instead of skin lotion for her freckles. Same old Anne Shirley! At least, there’s actually one adult in Avonlea that has some eccentricities like Anne.
During this arc, we meet Miss Lavender. If you’re looking for the tragic heroine in one of Anne’s stories she would spout about growing up, this is it! She’s what you would call an “old maid” due to her never marrying and living alone with one helper. But, she does have some history with the father of one of Anne’s pupils (Paul).
This arc comes to a close with a rapid-fire of everything happening all at once. Rachel Lynde’s husband dies. Marilla comes to the idea to have Rachel move in with her instead of Rachel moving away. This opens up to Anne possibly going to college for real. Diana is engaged to Fred. Miss Lavender is finally marrying Paul’s father 25 years after she turned down his proposal. And Gilbert is getting the chance to go to college. In all of this, Anne seems a bit overwhelmed, mostly from Diana’s engagement. But, Anne makes the decision to join Gilbert at Redmond college.
ANNE OF THE ISLAND: After a two-year wait, Anne and Gilbert are finally getting their golden opportunity to attend Redmond College. But aside from attending college, we finally get some crucial moments between Anne and Gilbert. While, they remained quite civil to each other during Anne of Avonlea, Gilbert still has feelings and it’s pretty obvious. Anne can see it. She just wants none of it and shuts Gilbert down at every opportunity. It wasn’t just Gilbert, but former classmate Charlie Sloane also got shut down. He deserved it. During her college years, she meets an eccentric young woman named Philippa. She comes from Bollingbrook (the place of Anne’s birth) and even helps Anne track down the home where she was born where she finally got some long-awaited answers to her birth parents including some letters between her mother and father.
ENDING: Upon arriving back in Avonlea for a summer break, Anne noticed a lot of changes and not for the better. One big shock came in the form of her childhood friend Ruby. While, Diana was the biggest friend of Anne’s, we can’t dismiss her other friends Jane and Ruby. It felt as though there was a bit of friction with Jane due to her begging Anne to marry her brother and rejecting it flat-out. But Ruby’s arc was just sad. The whole town knows she has tuberculosis and is going to die soon. But Ruby and her family seem to be in complete denial. Anne came by often during her time off. In that time off, she began writing a manuscript. And while getting rejected several times, she did get a prize for her story (with a little help from Diana). Sadly, Ruby did indeed pass away. Thankfully, Anne was able to deal with the grieving process with ease.
College life seems to have given Anne some good luck as she was able to rent a beautiful house with some of her classmates and even found a new cat named Rusty. But as the 80’s group Heart would sing about, “What about love”? Charlie Sloan blew his chances when he was pulling that old, “Do you know who my daddy is” crap. Also, he gets no love when you criticize Anne for being an orphan. As for Gilbert, he is friend-zoned. No, I mean it. It was enough for Anne to forgive Gilbert from when they were children. They became good friends after a long bout of being school rivals and not speaking to each other. But Gilbert clearly has the hots for Anne and it’s been clear ever since they were children. Anne only sees Gilbert as a friend and rejects Gilbert every time he declares his love for her. She doesn’t see him that way and I can kind of get that. She probably regrets the years she spent ignoring Gilbert and was happy when they finally were on speaking terms and eventually friends. Why ruin a good thing by going into a relationship? If something goes wrong in the relationship, the overall friendship could be destroyed in the process. I know I said the same thing in the shipping category, but it’s important.
Then again, this is Anne Shirley. She might have grown up, but we know that she still has that imaginative mind. Anne is probably still pining after what her mind’s eye wants. One rainy day, she’s out and there she meets Roy Gardener. This is Anne’s ideal guy and he is absolutely nuts over Anne. So, they end up dating. Meanwhile, Gilbert rebounds with a new girl (or so the rumors go). Come on, you know how the rebound works. So, things were going well for Anne until she started feeling so many things due to major events happening around her. At the end of her junior year in college, she gets word that her friend Philippa is getting married. And then, Anne has to give away her prescious Diana. I’ll admit, that was a gut-punch watching Anne on Diana’s wedding day.
In her final year at Redmond, Anne and the other girls were busy with school work as usual. In the matters of romance, Philippa is still scheduled to get hitched after graduation. As for Anne, she’s really happy about her budding romance with Roy. He’s nuts for her. And despite a rough first impression, Roy’s family seems to be okay with Anne. However, Anne has something brewing inside her wondering if this is the right course in life. She can’t help but think of Gilbert even when she’s got Roy. So, this is it. Roy is going to propose to Anne. And Anne’s response is…
No, she can’t marry him.
It’s finally hitting her and who she really should be with. Philippa was really devastated over this news. Probably because this guy has looks, money, and is crazy enough to love a girl like Anne Shirley. Just remember that this is Anne’s decision.
Now that college is officially over, Anne is going back to Avonlea and Green Gables. Once more, we get ch-ch-ch-changes. Diana gave birth to a boy. Jane is getting married to a millionaire. The tree that Anne fell in love with when she first came to Green Gables was ravaged in the latest storm to hit town. Oh, and Gilbert might die of Typhoid. The one person who loved Anne and kept thinking about even when she was dating Roy might die. Anne was horribly distraught over the news. She prayed that he would live after going through her own existential crisis on the matter. Luckily, Gilbert survived. Once better, Gilbert visited Anne and they went off to talk like they normally do.
Gilbert once again shoots for Anne’s affection. Only this time, he scored. Anne accepted. And the story ends with Anne and Gilbert sharing the news with their loved ones.
As there’s a 98% chance that they will not cover the other 5 novels about Anne Shirley, it’s easy to say that, this is for real. Anne and Gilbert will be married in three years time due to Gilbert’s work. They will have seven children. I won’t divulge into major spoilers about said children, but some of them are named after loved ones like Marilla and Diana.
Love it. I know it didn’t look like I was going to get into it because of all the time-jumps and skipping on certain details. Yeah, that did bug me quite a bit. I think it also bugged other people too. It could be a whole year that passed in the span of a single episode. And sometimes, that’s a bit of a turn off.
I can’t help but hope for a resurgence in the retelling of literary classics. I have to hold out for hope as the World Masterpiece Theater animes are criminally overlooked nowadays and deserve to be streamed or even retold much like Anne Shirley. While I would love a retelling of Princess Sarah or Pollyanna, the one that would be really good following this up would be Little Women. I know there are two animes covering Little Women, but the first one is borderline lost media and the second one feels unfinished due to not covering things after Jo moves to New York. But, that’s just me and everyone else has feelings about reboots.
Anne Shirley was a light-hearted, slice-of-life anime that I just enjoyed from beginning to end. The animation was top-notch. And best of all, this anime stayed true to the original work. Many lines come from the book, word-for-word. All of the episode titles are lines from the stories. The terms used in the book were also used in the series. It’s the little things you notice that make you appreciate it. I give a full recommendation. I know there are a lot of Anne of Green Gables adaptations out there. I would definitely watch this one.
If you would like to watch Anne Shirley, Crunchyroll has all 24 episodes available for streaming and in several different languages. The 1979 Anne of Green Gables anime is only available in English, but on the Youtube channel of Studio 100 mini-Kids.
Okay, good. We didn’t have to wait a whole 7 years for this arc to be adapted. Aniplex is dishing it out for us and Cloverworks is doing the heavy lifting. Just as long as there are no more fuck-ups. Again, Black Butler has been through enough.
Previous season's thoughts here.
HISTORY: After a family tragedy that claimed the lives of his parents, Ciel Phantomhive was in a terrible situation that seemed to get worse by the minute. At his lowest low, he makes a contract with a demon named Sebastian. Ciel sells his soul to the demon in favor of revenge on those who have wronged him. After fulfilling most of that, Ciel and Sebastian live in Ciel’s family home where Sebastian is now his butler.
Despite his young age, Ciel has not only the family business to attend to, but duty to the queen of England. His title is known as the “Queen’s Guard Dog”. Sebastian aids young Ciel in many situations for his job. From solving a Jack the Ripper case to infiltrating a circus, to solving a case involving zombies on a luxury liner and more recently solve the case of missing students that did somehow involve zombies again. Well, we’re going to take a detour away from zombies and go into werewolves.
EMERALD WITCH ARC: At the end of the Public-School Arc, we saw a few minutes of something out of the ordinary of what we’re to expect from this show in the future. Just like with every other case Ciel has been sent to, once more Queen Victoria has Ciel and Sebastian check out a mystery. This time, she sends them to Germany. People who enter a certain part of a forest known as the “Witch Forest” meet with an old woman who warns them of a curse if they proceed further. If they do so, they will soon have a swollen face and die instantly.
Naturally, the queen is worried due to several members of the royal family in high positions over in Germany. So, off Ciel and Sebastian go to Germany along with their mansion entourage; Finny, Mey-rin, Snake, Bard, and Tanaka. Once there, they received a pretty icy welcome from all accounts. No one will take them near the witch forest let alone talk about the incidents and once in a village close to the place, they were threatened. It wasn’t until the lord of the land (Sieglinde Sullivan) appears to quell the situation. It gets worse when both Ciel and Sebastian go into the forest and wind up with the same condition that took the lives of all those who came to the forest. And WHOA MY GOD RECORD SCRATCH!
Right, it’s been a minute since I read this arc in the manga. But, um…there are some very noticeable spoilers. Those who know, know.
LICENSING: Once again, we’ve got Crunchyroll at the helm and judging by the work from last season, I expect J. Michael Tatum, Brina Palencia, and the rest to return to the respective roles. This arc mostly consists of Ciel, Sebastian, and the staff of the mansion. But always expect the unexpected. Before the dub released, I was pondering who would be the perfect match to play Sullivan considering she’s played by the tsundere queen in Japanese. I honestly think Sarah Wiedenheft would be the perfect choice. Let’s see what Crunchyroll has in store.
Sarah Wiedenheft is voicing Sullivan.
Sweet Grandma Moses. I can’t believe I got a prediction right in this day and age. I used to be really good at this in the early 2010s. I was the first one to say J. Michael Tatum would make a great Sebastian Michaelis. Yeah, that’s right. I was the first one.
NEW CHARACTERS: So, let’s talk about Sullivan and Wolfram. Sullivan is what you would call the lord of the village. She’s the descendant of the original “witch” who sacrificed her legs in order to have the werewolf of the forest protect them. As a result, Sullivan has her feet bound and is carried everywhere by her attendant/butler, Wolfram. Now, you would think it’d be weird for someone like Wolfram to be in this situation. He’s the only male in this village surrounded by women. And he could even be a werewolf. Not THE one causing trouble, but one. Well, that’s for you all to find out. The answer might surprise you.
JAPANESE CAST:
*Sullivan is played by Rie Kugimiya (known for Al on FMA, Kagura on Gintama, Taiga on Toradora, Kagura on Fruits Basket 2019, Shana on Shakugan no Shana, Louise on Familiar of Zero, and Happy on Fairy Tail)
*Wolfram is played by Chikahiro Kobayashi (known for Legoshi on Beastars and Rikuo on Sing Yesterday for Me)
ENGLISH CAST:
*Sullivan is played by Sarah Wiedenheft (known for Tohru on Miss Kobayashi, Zeno on DB Super, Power on Chainsaw Man, Hakari on 100 Girlfriends, Charmy on Black Clover, Lily on Zombieland Saga, and Saiko on Tokyo Ghoul :re)
*Wolfram is played by Conner Allison (known for Rokkaku on Cherry Magic)
BANGERS: Yes, I did stick up my nose at the fact that there isn’t a SID song on either the opening or the ending. That was until I watched and listened. First of all, Cö shu Nie is a great choice. And second of all, they went hard. How hard? Both the opening and ending have a run time of 2 minutes each. I can’t begin to tell you how many opening and ending themes can benefit from having an extra 30 seconds.
But Medea, what about One Piece? A lot of their openings are 2 minutes 30 seconds.
We don’t talk about One Piece here.
Also, when you add 4 minutes plus a 2-minute recap, you’re looking at 15 minutes per episode. Hell, that hentai title about the girl who moves time backwards by taking her underwear off has a longer run-time than…
Shut the fuck up. Ugh. My inner voice thingy does have a point. Next category.
RECAPS: Cloverworks, what’s your deal with recaps? It’s not just here, it’s in a lot of animes you’ve done. I’ll leave Bocchi the Rock alone since the recap you did there was in the form of two movies. Aniplex does that all the time. But when I see recaps being part of the actual episode lasting anywhere from a minute to five whole minutes, then I’m seeing a problem. I think the straw that broke the camel’s back here would be episode 10 when the recap is a total of 5 ½ minutes.
Is this a way to try to stretch the season into the running time and the 12-episode format? Other than that, I see absolutely no use for these recaps unless someone put this series down and picked it up months later. To me, recaps should only be used at the beginning of the season (especially for shows who have been gone for years on end) and sometimes in the halfway section like if the series is 24-48 episodes long.
ENDING: The mystery of the werewolves and the miasma that kills people?
Fake. And for once, not caused by Undertaker. Oh, don’t worry. You’ll see his diabolical shit in due time. But as for this whole thing, everything was a lie. Sullivan was deceived by the villagers whom she thought she was helping. The werewolves were just men in disguise. German soldiers to be precise. The town and folklore was fabricated hogwash. But the miasma that spread and killed all those people, it’s toxic mustard gas. And the mastermind behind this was the crazy old woman you would see yelling at anyone who came close to the village. Turns out this woman is Sullivan’s own mother.
It goes like this. The crazy old woman was a scientist who fell in love with another scientist. They were working on a government project with deadly chemicals and came upon the perfect solution. But then an accident happened. The crazy old woman’s face was altered, her lover died, and she’s left carrying his child. All seemed lost until a few years later she noticed that her child was indeed smart like her lover and that’s when she decided to continue this project. But she must protect it at all costs by keeping the child in an abandoned area, guarded by German soldiers, keep her feet bound to prevent escaping, and come up with the most elaborate lie to deceive this young girl. Sullivan was crushed that her whole world view was taken out by Sebastian and Ciel. Thankfully, instead of succumbing to despair or not believe Ciel, she instead wants to go with them to the outside world.
You would think killing off the old crone and setting fire to all the documents of the new-found toxic gas by Sebastian would be the end of it. No, we still have these German soldiers to go after Ciel’s crew. But what the Germans don’t know is that Ciel’s staff is special in their own right. Mey-rin is a sharp-shooter, Bard is an expert in explosives, Tanaka is handy with a sword, Snake needs no explanation, and Finny is the product of human testing. Combined makes it one hell of an unstoppable army. Even Ciel gets to be bad-ass while cross-dressing as Sullivan and shoots off part of Wolfram’s ear. And…
CONSPIRACY THEORY TIME: Humor me and those who know me know where I’m going with this. See that ear. That’s an ear that’s been shot. Do you see President Orange Vomit after his ear was “shot”? Somehow, in tact. I’m not saying there wasn’t an attempt on President Poopy-Diaper’s life last year. I’m just saying a lot of the lore is fishy beyond all belief. We now return to the review already in progress.
BACK TO THE ENDING: Enter Diedrich! Ciel’s in trouble and he calls his father’s old prefect from his Weston College days. He came in to help Ciel and his crew. And they needed all the help they can get as the Germans have high-tech (at the time) machinery.
Though a couple of Germans inside a panzer versus a literal demon from hell. My money is on the sexy-voiced demon. Some of them were easy to take out. But one of the girls Hilde is a tough one. She survived quite a bit and, in the end, almost assassinated Wolfram. But again, always bet on the sexy-voiced demon in this anime.
Gee, with all this death and destruction in this show, I’m starting to think to myself that it's been too long since we saw people’s lives played out like a film.
And right on cue! Grim reapers! Now, keep in mind the grim reapers are different in every country and there’s a very fascinating OVA from the Black Butler’s second season that shows that off. I highly recommend watching that OVA. So…
GRELL! GRELL! HE’S BACK! THERE HE IS! HE’S HERE!
BACK TO THE ENDING (AGAIN): Ciel and his crew stop off at Diedrich’s home to rest and recuperate. Wolfram was able to survive despite being gut-shot by Hilde. Sullivan forgiving Wolfram for hiding so much from her actually wasn’t going to be a big problem. Sullivan forgave him quite easily. And finally, they make it back to England. Queen Victoria has asked for Sullivan to visit. That’s great and all, but Sullivan isn’t all that lady-like. Sebastian is a bit of a cruel teacher, so it’s kind of a relief that Lizzie comes in to help. The visit with the queen went very successful. Ciel was able to give his report about what happened. The miasma was nothing more than mustard gas. The queen asked Sullivan to help England with her knowledge and things look good for England.
And then…spoilers. Ciel and Undertaker. It’s only a second, but it was shown. Is there meaning behind this? OH, HELL YEAH! But as Undertaker says, not yet. Not ready! There’s still more before we get to that hornet’s nest. Though, I do not know how long before we get our next installment in anime form. So, manga anyone?!
So, that’s the Emerald Witch Arc! I am very happy to finally see this animated. It was perfectly casted, perfectly animated, and giving the fans what they came for. Honestly, my only big gripe is how long these recaps last during every episode. And that’s just small potatoes in the long-run, because everything else was great. In Black Butler fashion, the solution to these cases are highly absurd and almost feels like they come out of nowhere. At least it’s not zombies in this case. Like I said in my previous reviews, there are several seasons and specials you should watch before jumping in these newer adaptations of Black Butler. Pretty much just watch everything except for Black Butler II. It’s not a dig at the season, I’m just stating the fact that it’s non-canon and will serve no purpose when catching up to this point.
If you would like to watch all of Black Butler (for the most part), Crunchyroll has almost everything put out by the franchise in several languages.
FINAL THOUGHT: Ciel’s not speaking in third person. There. Had to get one out.
And now for something completely different. A review that's not anime.
I’ve got over 250 pages worth of anime reviews I’m once again ignoring due to things springing up. In one week, three shows (not anime) came back for another season. As if the summer season wasn’t jam-packed with sequels for the anime bracket. While I was anticipating the return of The Proud Family and Tim Burton’s Wednesday, it was King of the Hill that got most of my excitement.
Yes, King of the Hill was one of my favorite shows. Even BOTH of my parents liked it. While my mom has a severe hatred for Peggy and Cotton, she does enjoy some of the stories. And as for my dad, back when he was alive, he loved this show. Texas was his home state and he enjoyed the characters and the simple story. And as for me, I’ve been a big fan of Mike Judge shows for years. King of the Hill being the top-tier. And of course, I was saddened by the fact FOX canceled the show for more Seth MacFarlane shows. I’m not joking. FOX literally canceled King of the Hill and replaced it with The Cleveland Show. Followed by the sadder news months later when one of the show’s stars died suddenly. Fast forward a decade or so and we get confirmation of a new season where there’s a major time-leap.
Like I said with Panty & Stocking, Fruits Basket, and The Proud Family, give us proof of this pudding’s existence or shut up.
Slowly but surely, they did show us little bits of what to expect. And soon enough, we got Grey Delisle revealing some stuff, a promo poster came soon after, a panel at a festival, the official opening released by Hulu, the trailer, and a few clips to satisfy us until August 2025. Okay, I guess it’s happening. I would often wonder what that would entail. Years ago, I was writing some scripts for fun of King of the Hill like what would happen during Bobby’s high school years. But it was silly and real stuff like Peggy goes through menopause, Bill tries suicide again, Luanne runs off with a preacher leaving Lucky and Gracie, Joseph needing a kidney transplant, and Connie getting knocked up by Clark Peters. You know, crazy shit I’ve been known to write. Okay, let’s see how Arlen is in 2023 or 2024 or 25. Not sure which year it is considering how long it takes to animate and write an episode.
WHY LEAVE TEXAS, HANK?!: Short answer, it was propane. Yes, Hank is a Texan through and through (no matter what his birth certificate says). The Cowboys are there and had several shots in the playoffs in recent years. He’s very patriotic and against going out of the country and even to some other states like New York and California. So, why the hell would you leave Texas or even America, Hank? Again, propane.
Plus, think about it. There had to be a way to keep Hank and Peggy in a different mindset from the rest of Arlen and their changing environment. The world has changed between 2009 and 2025. Instead of having Hank live through the craziness we’ve all had to endure, they put him in a bit of an American dream bubble in Saudi Arabia. Plus, you have to admit that Hank and Peggy are getting up there in years and that they should think about their golden years and retirement. Hence why you’ve got Hank working in Saudi Arabia doing what he does best. Working with propane and propane accessories.
AND NOW SPOILERS ABOUT THE CHARACTERS: You know how I work, I give out spoilers and I don’t give a crap about it. Y’all have read my anime reviews. Skip on down to the voice acting if you don’t want to be spoiled.
Hank Hill. As we all saw in the opening theme, it’s obvious that he, Peggy and Bobby moved away. Not sure if this was before, during, or after Bobby was in high school, that was never really addressed. It was learned that Hank got an opportunity to work in Saudi Arabia and work with propane. This was a golden investment as it would help with Hank and Peggy’s retirement. Upon arriving back to Arlen, Hank is fully retired and kinda feeling the “now what do I do with my time” aspect of retirement. Throughout the series, we do see Hank jump into different things like be a handyman for a chore app and even a referee for a kid’s soccer match. Yeah, that last one comes as a surprise as we learned in season three that Hank hates soccer. But because of Saudi Arabia, he’s kind of evolved from his previous prejudices of the game. Hank now likes soccer.
Peggy Hill. Of course she was going to go with her husband. She’d be a damn-fool not to. I’m not entirely sure what she was doing while in Saudi Arabia aside from haggling with vendors. One thing is for certain in this revival, she keeps mispronouncing Saudi Arabia. Yeah, just like when she used to emphasize her pronunciations in Spanish, she went along to bastardize Arabic too. Add to that, Peggy thinking very highly of herself didn’t let up one bit. Once returning to Arlen, she adapts a little better than her husband in this ever-changing modern world. But there are a lot of things that still irk her. She’s still not used to things like the doorbell app or that people don’t socialize without the use of technology. I will say, that if not for the bed bug infestation, that book-nook Peggy had was a good idea.
Bobby Hill. With the spoilers leaked by Grey Delisle, it was implied that Bobby was going to be in Dallas as the head chef of “Robata Chane”. His love of food carried over from the original series finale. Except this time, it is a Japanese and German fusion restaurant. Japanese and German. Holy shit, if Cotton were still alive, he’d lose his collective shit. By the looks of the trailers that were dropped, many of us were to think that Bobby had become a bit of a lady’s man. In reality, he’s so wrapped up in work that he barely has time to go out on dates. Add to that, he has too much of his dad in him and it shows with how he talks to and texts women. Even though, Bobby is in Dallas and his family is back in Arlen, the show still manages to show us both worlds in every single episode. And I think many of us agreed that Bobby was one of the best things of this revival.
Dale Gribble. This was actually the funniest part. Dale ran for mayor and won with only 9% of the vote. However, he was only mayor for 36 hours as Dale was a bit of an election denier. His own election, I mean. This is just spot-on Dale. And yes, he is still very much into conspiracy theories. And as usual, Dale always does crazy crap whenever he’s on screen. Hiding in trash cans, kidnapping his friend when he thinks he’s become a traitor to the country, drugs another of his friends, catching rats in the most unorthodox way, inciting a mob at a presidential museum, provoking neighbors, and other Dale-type shenanigans we’ve come to expect from a man like that.
Boomhauer. No longer a skirt-chaser, he has a wife…I think. They refer to this woman as Boomhauer’s girlfriend, yet is definitely a step-dad to this woman’s child, Luke Jr. We only see this wife/girlfriend in the opening theme with big sunglasses and an M95 mask hiding the rest of her. I’m guessing she’s going to remain unseen like Maris on Frasier. Boomhauer does try his best to step up to be there for Luke Jr. This includes becoming a referee for his stepson’s soccer games and putting his foot down when Luke Jr. gets attached to N/A beer.
Bill. How could you possibly make Bill even sadder than he already was? Let’s face it, this guy was just pathetic in the original show. He was constantly pushed around. His love life sucked. He was unhappily divorced and basically everyone in his family is dead. Much like Hank, it is mentioned that Bill is retired, but it was a forced retirement. So, something must have happened at the army. In the opening sequence, we see that Bill definitely caught Covid in the early days. Glad to see it wasn’t a death sentence for him. But years later we see Bill has become a shut-in. Almost on the level of Al Tuttle from American Dad! He wasn’t as obese, but he did somehow finish Netflix. Throughout the series, he dropped some of the weight, but…He’s still Bill. He says stupid shit. He does stupid shit. He makes friends with black barbers (which is good). But he blatantly lies to them by saying he’s married to his friend’s wife (which is very bad).
Joseph. He’s still Bobby’s good friend and always will be. And he’s still dumb as a stump. But, the air of annoyance he gave off when he was a teenager seems to be gone. Yeah, some people hate Peggy. Some people hate Buck Strickland. I couldn’t stand Joseph. Not so much now! It could be his voice change. It could be that he’s acting a lot like his “father” and it amuses me to no end. Who knows? Joseph works as a construction worker, lives with Bobby, and yes, he still thinks he’s a white guy. Nice to see the lie is still going strong in the Gribble household. And much like how Dale is always doing stuff for Hank, you can find Joseph is the same way with Bobby.
Connie. One had to wonder if Connie was going to go above and beyond from her middle school days. Her parents put so much pressure on her, you would think that for college, she’d be going to some ivy league college doing marine biology. But if your aim is to have Bobby and Connie reconnect in their 20s, you better have Connie still living in Texas. Like Bobby, Joseph, and Chane, Connie is living in Dallas. She goes to college and is pretty much spreading her wings and doing what she wants without the constraints of Kahn and Mihn. There was a bit of controversy with this character as Connie is in an ENM open relationship. I’m staying out of that fight. My asexual ass got no say in that matter…nor do I care. You do you.
Chane and Ted. These two actually have a larger presence than one might think. In the original series, we only see Ted and Chane every so often. Ted’s appearances would coincide whenever it suits Kahn attempting to join the exclusive golf club that’s eluded him for so long. And Chane was kind of the antagonist when it came to the Bobby x Connie relationship. But mostly Chane is remembered for being a bit of a bully to Bobby and an all-around dick. In this series, Ted is still very wealthy and has agreed to back the opening of Bobby’s restaurant with Chane, I guess in charge. Chane is not really a bully to Bobby anymore as he no longer refers to him as “Booby Hill”. But he’s still an all-around dick.
RETURNING CAST: As it has been over 15 years since many of the cast voiced these characters, it would be understandable if they are a little rough around the edges. In this case, it might just work due to the characters aging significantly. I mean, listen to how Beavis sounds back in the 90s and how he sounds now. Mike Judge is great, but he isn’t God or anything. Here, yes, he’s back doing Hank and Boomhauer. And he excels at it! Kathy Najimi, Lauren Tom, Pamela Adlon, Ashley Gardner, and Stephen Root are all back voicing Peggy, Mihn, Connie, Bobby, Nancy, Bill, and Buck Strickland respectively. And all of them are fan-freakin-tastic!
TWO DRASTIC CHANGES: As Dale’s voice actor Johnny Hardwick passed away during the recording of the revival, it left a big hole in the hearts of those who loved the character. And it also asked the question, who would fill the shoes of Dale Gribble. They eventually went with long-time voice actor of the show Toby Huss. Nice. Seeing as the two major characters he used to play, he won’t be playing them anymore. I mean, yeah, he does play Cotton. But keep in mind that whenever we see Cotton, it’s going to be in flashbacks since he did die in the original series run. And then there’s Kahn.
In keeping with the promises of shows having actual representation with different characters, Toby Huss was definitely not going to voice Kahn. And that’s where Ronnie Cheng comes in. Guys, I love Ronnie Cheng. But as Kahn, I’m a no. Mostly because he just sounds way to young to play someone like Kahn. Even Chane and Ted’s voices were an improvement compared to Kahn.
As for Dale’s original voice and new voice…much like this revival, my thoughts are all over the place when it comes to Dale’s voice. It isn’t until episode 8 where we get to hear Toby Huss fully take over as the voice of Dale. Episodes 1-7 are mostly Hardwick, with a sprinkling of Huss. And I gotta say it was a little off-putting. Hardwick sounded a little rough and Huss sounded like he was trying too hard to sound like Dale. The end result of that, it just felt like Dale was yelling every time he was on screen. Once that dust settled, it feels as though Huss is starting to come in as his own Dale Gribble.
G.O.A.T. VOICE ACTOR: It’s Keith David. Were you expecting anyone else here? The answer is Keith David. The man is just great in everything he’s in. Even here! Did I expect him to sing the K-Ci and Jojo hit All My Life with some of the lyrics sung in Laotion? No! But, I’ll accept it and ask for more. And if you don’t know who Keith David is…The fuck is wrong with you?! Gargoyles, The Princess and the Frog, Abbott Elementary, Rick and Morty, Dead Presidents, Barbershop, Head of State, hell, I’ll even put down Requiem for a Dream. Take your pick!
G.O.A.T. NEW CHARACTER: This honor has got to go to Bobby’s co-worker, Emilio. It’s obvious that in this new season, we see Bobby having to deal with the working world. But we can draw some parallels between Bobby and Hank as they both give it their all in what they do and occasionally deal with a boss that isn’t always the greatest. And while Hank had folks like Joe Jack, Roger Sack, or Enrique, they were sometimes flakey and would leave Hank high and dry. Emilio does not do that to Bobby. He recognizes Bobby’s work and tells him so. He’s behind him 100%, even when it comes to Bobby trying to get back with the girl he likes. Emilio is real and I like him.
FUNNIEST MOMENT: Hands down, it’s this scene where Joseph suddenly conceals himself by turning into a trash bag. I know it’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment, but if you saw it, it is just hilarious. That is Dale’s son right there.
RELATIONSHIPS: Sure, let’s go over them. The ones that are married, the ones who are no longer married, the ones who want to rekindle, and Bill. Yes, I have to talk about Bill.
Hank and Peggy. 29 years going strong. I didn’t think I would need to talk about these two here until I saw the fifth episode where Hank becomes a soccer referee. Let’s just say this became a bit of a turn-on for Peggy. But yes, these two are still together, still trust each other, and Hank will not get another wife no matter how many times the Saudi guy offered Hank one. They did. They tried. They failed at it.
Dale, Nancy, and John Redcorn. While it is confirmed that Dale and Nancy are still happily married and living together, I often wonder if it’s for show like another couple I’ll get to in a sec. Aside from the third episode, I never really see Nancy and Dale together that much or at all. One telling moment was when Kahn and Mihn invited the neighbors to go bowling. Hank and Peggy are a given, but why did they invite Boomhauer and Dale too? Was Nancy busy working with John Redcorn that night? As for Nancy and John Redcorn’s relationship, it is just a friendship now, but working together selling houses. I can’t help but wonder about Dale and Nancy as a whole here. Probably because they weren’t a main focus in these 10 episodes. Maybe next season we’ll see something to that extent, but I shouldn’t ponder. As long as Dale and Nancy are happy, I’m…something.
Kahn and Mihn. DIVORCED. Yep, we learned before the episodes dropped that it was heavily implied that these two were either separated or completely divorced. Come the 8th episode and it’s pretty bad. They’ve been divorced for two years but have kept up the lie in front of everyone. Kahn’s just been living in the garage this whole time. The reason behind the secrecy is pretty much to keep up appearances. Not just to rub it in their neighbors faces, but to impress Ted and the rest of the Laotian community. That does explain why we never see Kahn until episode 8 and then never again for the rest of the season. It feels almost like a disservice to the character. We could have at least seen Kahn once or twice. Not with his wife, but at least when Hank came back to town or even during episodes like when Hank was brewing beer or Peggy doing the book nook. But I digress. Once it’s out in the open about the divorce, we don’t know if Kahn is leaving the garage or if he ends up opening up to the guys. I guess we won’t find out until 2026 when the next season comes out. God, I hope so.
Bobby and Connie: Much like in middle school, we get to see their arc of romance or lack there of. Both fell out of touch, but now that they are living in Dallas, they finally hang out. So, is there any romance between the two of them? Not really. Bobby is so wrapped up in his restaurant that he barely has any time for relationships. Sure, there’s a one-night stand with a college girl and that little bit with Willow. It’s not like he’s a pussy-crusher or anything. Meanwhile, Connie is in an ENM open relationship with Chane. Much like in the original, Connie’s parents love having Connie be in a relationship with Chane. But both are open to playing the field and yes, they do take advantage of that.
Bobby does come to the conclusion that he still likes Connie. Even nearing the end of his relationship with Willow, he comes to that conclusion. Connie just sees Bobby as someone too nice to get him involved in her ENM open relationship life. She even tries to hook up Bobby with her roommate. Nothing happened. And I don’t expect to ever see Willow again. After she took a deuce on Jerry Jones’s desk, that ship has crashed and burned. It wasn’t until everyone saw Kahn and Mihn’s fallout that Bobby got a real chance with Connie. It’s just that all of Bobby’s attempts at reconnecting kinda fell flat on his face. Bobby came to the realization that Connie now is much different from Connie when she was 12. Because of how things ended in episode 10, it was either that Connie was knocked out on painkillers or it’s really finally happening.
Bill. Ugh. Bill fucking Dautrieve. Short answer, still single. Long answer goes as this; the neighbors think he’s creepy, his fantasies about loving Peggy go in a very sick direction, he strikes out with Didi (Hank’s step-mother), and it’s just not looking good for Bill. When has it ever looked good for him? Now, there was one moment where Bill did something he should have done a long time ago. Burn his wedding album of him and Lenore. I’m just put off by the fact that Bill doing this wasn’t brought on by anything. Did the book also have bed-bugs? Is that why you finally decided to let go of Lenore?
I do have to bring up Bill’s unhealthy love for Peggy. The original series, we see this from time-to-time. Sometimes it was a little funny. But most of the time it was very disturbing. Keeping Peggy’s cast after she fell from the plane was really bad. Everything he did in the episode Escape From Party Island was just uncalled for. But then we get the episode Peggy’s Fadeout and you’ve got this obsession going a little too far. When I showed my mom this episode, her exact words were, “Kick his ass, Hank”. I’m inclined to agree. Bill made new friends while Hank was gone and made up a fabricated story that these guys seem to believe. Bill tells them that he’s married to Peggy. Not just that, but had all kinds of photoshopped pictures of Peggy to make it true. Not just that, say that they have an adopted son named “Bobbito”. And on top of all that, say that his friend Hank is an obese slob with suicidal tendencies. Bill tries to get Peggy in on this, but Bill fucks that up royally. What does he do? Admit that he’s a liar to his friends? Nope. Makes an even bigger lie by saying Peggy died suddenly and hold a memorial service. Aside from this sad charade, we don’t see Bill with anyone new. Not compared to the original series.
I just want to say that there were only two women from the original series that I liked seeing Bill with. And that’s Kahn’s mother Laoma and former governor of Texas, Ann Richards. However, both have passed on. So, it is what it is.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: As it has been so long between these seasons, we’ve obviously lost several prominent voices. Brittney Murphy (Luanne) unfortunately passed several months after the series ended on FOX. Dennis Burkley, the voice of Principal Moss died in 2013. Then we lost Lucky’s voice actor Tom Petty in 2017, cementing that we would never see Lucky or Luanne ever again if the show returned. Fred Willard also passed away. Yes, I didn’t forget him as he did play one of the policemen featured in later seasons. And let’s not forget Betty White. I know she was only two one-off characters, but it’s still Betty White. But then we got two big gut-punches while the show was trying to come back. And that was with Johnny Hardwick (Dale) and Jonathon Joss (John Redcorn).
Both men recorded for the new season. In Hardwick’s case, he was only able to do 7 out of the 10 episodes before passing away. Joss’s story gets really sad. He recorded for the four episodes he was in. I don’t know what’s going to occur for next season, but what we heard, that was it from Joss as he unfortunately lost his life after being shot to death several months ago.
M.I.A. CHARACTERS: Lucky and Luanne are not mentioned at all. Just getting that out there. The only thing you get is an easter egg picture of them in the background. And actually, getting the rights to play a Tom Petty song. The old series was never able to play a single Tom Petty song, only covers. So, it was nice hearing Runnin’ Down a Dream. Continuing. It has been widely reported that both Lucky and Luanne’s characters are being retired from the show. Think of it as what The Simpsons did for Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure after Phil Hartman’s death. Retire their characters and do not recast them. Rightly so! No one can do them justice after Tom Petty and Brittney Murphy. But were there other characters that have just gone missing? Let’s find out!
As Hank has retired from Strickland Propane, we’re not going to see any of the colorful characters from that establishment like Donna, Joe Jack, Enrique, and the rest. We do get Buck Strickland, but he’s retired as well. Hank’s mother Tilly wasn’t brought up. I’m just wondering if she passed away off-screen like Doc Platter and Laoma. The kids of Tom Landry middle school. Aside from Bobby, Joseph, Connie, and Chane, we don’t see any of the usual characters like Dooley, Clark Peters, or Emily. Noted scumbags Lane Pratley and M.F. Thatherton are nowhere to be seen. My guilty pleasure character Octavio is M.I.A. That or Dale couldn’t afford to have him around anymore. Also, no Reverand Stroop. Jimmy’s not there either. Probably for the best in my opinion.
And finally, Chuck Mangione. They did put him in as a standee cut-out at the Megalo. Unfortunately, Chuck passed a couple of weeks before the season dropped. Even though we don’t hear him, I’m glad we at least see him.
CONFIRMED DEAD: I know Ladybird was never mentioned in the new season, but it should go without saying that the dog is definitely gone by now. Same can be said about Kahn’s dog too. But who else? Peggy confirmed that her father Doc died. Kahn confirmed that his mother Laoma died. And that he still has a hatred for Bill because he dated Laoma. And finally, yes, Cotton is still very much dead. His ashes are flushed down Gen. Patton’s latrine or buried in the special cemetary. The continuation time-line is a bitch.
HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!: I know I haven’t used this section in any of my reviews for a while. But Buck Strickland, how the fuck are you still alive? The man was an alcoholic, skirt-chasing, steak-eating, heart attack-having fool. Seriously, how many coronary episodes did this guy have during the original run? The man took after LBJ in so many ways that he should have died ten years before the original show began. Well, I shouldn’t complain as it gives us another chance to hear Stephen Root do Buck’s voice again. Well, Buck has definitely changed his life around. He’s retired and has a live-in nurse to make sure he gets his exercise and eating healthier.
EASTER EGGS: Anything surprising that pops up as a nod to the original series? Several things, yes. First of all, Peggy’s substitute teacher of the year awards. And one of them has her name clearly covering Hank’s. This was back when she ran under ‘Mrs. Hank Hill’ when Hank was a substitute shop teacher. Other stuff I saw included Hank’s diminished glutes. Yeah, I saw his naked backside and that ass has not gotten any better. Connie and Bobby remember getting alcohol from Wally (Bill’s “son”) and jumping in a bounce house. The book “A Dinner of Onions” returns when Peggy has that outdoor book-nook. Can’t forget that. An MRI showed that Peggy had an injury from being kicked in the crotch from a 12-year-old boy. The doctor almost got that right. Canonically, Bobby was 13 when he kicked Peggy and Hank in the crotch.
INCONSISTENCIES: Holy smokes, well, there was one glaring one that I had to bring up. In the original show’s run, it was confirmed that Hank and Peggy were married for 20 years by the end of season three. It was also mentioned that Kahn and Mihn were married for 13 years in that very same episode. Fast forward to one of the episodes in this revival and you’ve got Kahn and Mihn married for 30 years and are now ahead of Hank and Peggy who are at 29. What the fuck? Hank and Peggy’s marriage did not get years subtracted. The math ain’t mathin’ here, people!
And speaking of the math ain’t mathin’, how about we talk about G.H.? In this revival, it’s revealed he’s a teenager. Bobby was 12 when G.H. was born. We add thirteen years to that and Bobby should be 25, not 21. I know four years isn’t much of a stress, but I’m that weird kind of person who makes it a thing.
And finally, Bill. Yeah, I’m not through with him. Actually, Bill’s body is a bit of an inconsistency. In the original series, we’ve seen Bill’s body go through a lot in the span of a single episode, like when he bulked up with the meatheads or when he got diabetes. But there’s a major shift between shut-in Bill and second episode going on Bill. Everyone thought this was the work of Ozempic. Yeah, I’m almost inclined to agree.
POLITICS: Just getting this out of the way first. Donald Trump is NOT, I repeat, NOT mentioned in these 10 episodes. So y’all can shut the fuck up there. Keep in mind that while there’s a bit of a conservative leaning to many of these characters, politics aren’t really thrown in our face. This isn’t The Simpsons. It’s not Family Guy. And it’ll never be anything like South Park. The most we get here is the third episode where Hank goes to the George W. Bush Museum. Dale tries to talk about conspiracy theories and kinda incites the other museum patrons. I do love one of Dale’s conspiracies about how Bush died while choking on a pretzel and that his replacement is named ‘Jub’. I just love how they actually remembered Bush choking on a pretzel back in 2001.
I just feel like a lot of ‘buzzwords’ for a lack of a better word, were thrown around throughout the first two or three episodes. Things like “All-gender” or “Nepo-baby”. But again, the third episode in the Bush library does reach with the number of people who start to listen to Dale’s conspiracies. But, they were a little unhinged to begin with as there was a man who regularly listens to Newsmax and a woman making a remark involving Obama and Kenya. Although, throughout the season we do hear Obama’s name more than once. It is confirmed that Hank didn’t vote for Obama, but lied to Brian (the guy voiced by Keith David) saying he did so. But at least Hank defended the fact that Obama being born in Kenya is a lie, while dunking on Hawaii.
Also, is anybody else seeing that Hank just forgot about Bush’s limp handshake? Anybody? Come on now, Hank almost didn’t vote at all because of this. Fine, I’ll let it go.
OVERALL: This was a solid comeback. Not perfect, but then again, what is? In this day and age with nearly everything getting a revival or an unnecessary reboot, this was a welcome surprise. I’m not the only one as it was highly praised by fans and critics. Hulu and Disney+ got a lot of traffic to their apps because of this show. Good! Good, I say! I want FOX to repent their shitty decisions. They know what they did.
I honestly didn’t think that having two stories in each episode (one involving Bobby and the other involving Hank or someone else in Arlen) would work, but in some cases it does. It does make me wonder again what the distance is between the fictional town of Arlen and Dallas. Even in the original series, it’s inconsistent. Whatever! Going back to Hank and Bobby, we got a couple of moments between the two that strengthened their relationship. Going into this revival, we knew there was going to be some friction between the father and son as Bobby’s line of work would involve charcoal. In Hank’s eyes, that’s a sin. It’s propane or the highway. But we do get a touching moment where Hank compliments his son on his work. There’s even a moment during the show where he mentions Bobby and what he does. And best of all, there wasn’t a hint of hesitation or embarrassment when he said it.
Then, we have Hank and Bobby brewing beer and entering a contest. There was friction as both men have different tastes when it comes to beer. And then there was Bobby and Hank going to the training camp for the Cowboys. This was brought on because Bobby was thinking about his father and how there might not be much time to spend with him. I’m all for more Hank and Bobby bonding. The original show had plenty of moments featuring the duo in bonding. Some, great like when they were in the gun competition and ones that went a little too far like with the roses competition.
One thing that surprised me was the cursing. In the original series, there was only one instance where the f-bomb was dropped. Bleeped, of course. And by Dale. This time, yes bleeped, but it came from Peggy more often than not. I know more adult animation shows like to use curse words almost every second even when it doesn’t call for it. And I know what you’re thinking. Why am I of all people bringing this up? I curse in everything I do. I’ve been told I’m worse than George Carlin. There’s an answer to that. Shut the fuck up and mind your own damn business. I know what I’m used to in King of the Hill and hearing more f and s-bombs on the show ain’t it.
One thing I would have liked was to see more of was Hank and Peggy’s time in Saudi Arabia. We barely see anything from it. Just Hank discovering his new love for soccer, Peggy haggling, and them driving back to their home.
The animation, everyone got on this case, especially when the trailers came out. To me, it kinda looked like the newer Beavis and Butt-head animation. I had no qualms about it. Rarely, I talk smack about animation in my reviews. Unless of course your name rhymes with Berserk 2016.
Was every episode a slam dunk? No. There were some great ones and ones I wasn’t too thrilled about. The episode where Bobby runs out of charcoal and has to tell his dad he’s been using the stuff is the best episode of the season. The first episode? It was okay. I felt like it was trying to cram so much in that I felt like it could have benefited from that being a two-parter. The episode where Hank and G.H. bond in this male-dominated area…eh, not my cup of tea. That episode does get a pearl point by casting Diedrich Bader. Hank and Bobby at the Dallas Cowboys? Great. Until Bobby’s girlfriend did what she did on Jerry Jones’s desk. I feel like that’s way too much for a show like King of the Hill. Did Jerry Jones deserve it? Considering this isn’t the first time someone did that on his desk, that might be up for debate.
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE: By the looks of it, there is a new season hopefully coming next year. That does make sense as I did see some storyboards that have yet to happen. I won’t divulge into it as I can’t confirm or deny if the other ones are for real legit.
One thing I hope for is that they don’t retire John Redcorn’s character. I know that Jonathon Joss is irreplacable. But we have to keep in mind that Joss wasn’t even Redcorn’s original voice. Victor Aaron voiced him in the first season before passing away. Plus, we’re already going on with this show without Lucky or Luanne. That’s a big enough hole in the show. I just kinda want to see if there’s anything left in the Dale x Nancy x John Redcorn tank.
Give Kahn more than one episode. I know the main consensus of Kahn’s new voice is that it’s hated with one exception. Believe it or not, my mother was the only one saying something positive about Ronnie Cheng as Kahn. On one hand, I can see her side. But for real, he just sounds way too young to be Kahn now. Anyways, just give us more with Kahn. He was such a main staple originally. Give us some insight as to how the marriage fell apart. Because these two were very much in love throughout the run of the show. And what now? Does Kahn leave the garage now that everyone knows about the divorce? Will he date again? Will he try to reconcile? Will he move in with Bill? These are just questions, people.
More appearances of Brian. You have Keith David in your hands guys, make use of him before he leaves to do that Rick and Morty spin-off. There’s so much thrown at us involving this guy and we don’t see much done with it. Brian lived in the Hill house when Hank and Peggy were in Saudi Arabia. He has a son. He has a cousin who’s a barber. Turns out he’s friends with Bill. Let’s get at least one Brian related episode. If for no other reason to have him sing some more. Remember, this is the guy who sang Friends on the Other Side.
I want any kind of update on Lucky, Luanne, and Gracie. We don’t have to hear them, just say where they are and if the characters are okay. I’ll even take a family portrait. Why not have Gracie spend an episode with Hank and Peggy. Do what you did with Hank and G.H. Although, if they do that, I might have a bitch-fit over what age they decide to make Gracie.
Not sure if I’m pro or con of seeing Boomhauer’s girlfriend. Personally, I can go either way. Either make her into a Maris from Frasier where we never see her or flesh her out.
I think that’s all I feel like getting off my chest. If you were a fan of the original series, I give a full recommendation. Hulu/Disney+ have all 10 episodes available for streaming.
Okay, time to watch a random anime because I had several open spots during the spring season. This anime is ecchi. Okay, that’s fine. It’s probably some flash-in-the-pan 5-minute anime filled with uncensored titties on Friday nights.
It’s 23 minutes and airs on Wednesdays.
Ewww…Does it air at an appropriate time on Wednesday?
It airs while you’re at work.
How ecchi are we talking about?
Yes.
Probably don’t watch this at work during lunch break.
Koushi Shirota is as average high school student as you can get. Nothing special about him. Barely nobody notices his existence. Rightly so, he’s not the main focus of this show. That honor goes to Takane Takamine. This girl excels at nearly everything including academics, sports, and even holds the high spot of student council president as a freshman. Not to mention, being absolutely stacked with…well, you know, tits. However, Takamine does have a bit of a secret when it comes to much of her success. And yes, it is as absurd as you could possibly get.
Takamine has an ability called “Eternal Virgin Road”. With this, she’s able to rewind time itself if something doesn’t suit her need so things end up with a different result. How she does it is that she takes off a certain article of clothing (either bra or undies) and boop, time is rewound and she gets the result she wanted like acing an exam or winning a sport competition. However, that boy I mentioned at the beginning, Shirota kinda stumbled upon Takamine’s power by accident. He saw her change clothes and then was a witness to her power in action.
Takamine tells Shirota about her power and wants him to become her ‘closet’. The reason for that is whenever she uses this power of hers, it does come at a price. Her lingerie disappears whenever she uses the power. Can’t go around school going commando and certainly can’t go bra-less with that fucking chest of hers. Therefore, Shirota will not only have lingerie at his disposal, but must put them on for her. Why would he do that? Not because Shirota wants to, he’s not perverted. Takamine blackmailed him. So, he has no other option.
BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Okay, we all at one point or another have watched an ecchi series on Crunchyroll to mixed results. Random beams of light from nowhere. Crappy censor bars or items. Crude attempts at editing. Those of course were mentioned in the before days. Because they did this when things like To Love Ru Darkness, High School DxD, and Sword Art Online: Alicization first aired. Nowadays, Crunchyroll has gotten better at…
God damn it, Crunchyroll.
I got swept up in the first episode and actually seeing a nipple on the Crunchyroll website. But come episode 3, there was a six-day hiatus. Not because of production issues. Oh, no. Oh, hell no! It was so that Crunchyroll could get its hands on a sorta censored version. And it wasn’t just one isolated incident either. This happened several times throughout the show’s run. Apparently, there are three versions to this anime; uncensored, slightly censored, and full-blown cock-block. Yeah, you know what my best method would have been? GIVE THIS ANIME TO SENTAI FILMWORKS! They gave us Chained Soldier, My Life as Inukai’s Dog, and Redo of Healer, no problemo.
As of now, no English dub to this yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if they snuck a dub in one day and just didn’t announce anything. Anyways, here’s what you might recognize these folks from.
*Takamine is played by Yurika Kubo (known for Kaede on Bunny Girl Senpai, Hanayo on Love Live, and Esther on A Certain Scientific Accelerator)
*Shirota is played by Daisuke Kasuya
SHIPPING: Going into this anime, you would have thought that the main lead Shirota had a thing for Takamine behind the scenes before meeting her officially. Actually, no. It’s safe to assume that he kinda envied her a bit with her popularity and wasn’t really infatuated with her. And now, this boy is thrust upon a well-endowed girl, putting panties on her and seeing more than one high school boy should see. Will we see a romantic spark here?
Here's the thing, both of these characters have a history with each other. It’s just that one has a sharp memory for what went down and the other has put the past behind them. Apparently, Takamine remembers taking care of a stray cat with Shirota when they were much younger. Shirota only vividly remembers that part of the story. The other part of the story is that during that time, Takamine revealed to Shirota that she likes him and he turned him down. Ever since learning this fact, I can’t help but thing Takamine is getting some kind of twisted revenge on Shirota for forgetting the past.
This anime can’t possibly involve just these two, right? Is there anyone who interferes or stirs the shipping pot just a bit? When it comes to Takamine, I think it’s more of everyone at her school loves her because she’s popular. And it doesn’t matter the gender either. To Takamine, she doesn’t really care about if they love her in that certain way, just as long as they keep believing she’s perfect. Although, her classmates do get up in arms whenever they see Shirota hanging around her.
And as for Shirota, he does have a childhood friend (Ellie) that comes around close to the end of the season. Now, what do you suppose Takamine does when she sees these two together? Obviously, have this tsundere face on. But there’s more to this. Ellie is not interested in Shirota, although she might be interested in Takamine despite already having a girlfriend. Yep, lesbian. Shirota doesn’t know because he’s dumber than a sack of bricks. Ellie being revealed to have a girlfriend felt like it really came out of nowhere and completely random.
ENDING: High school anime. Okay, time we turn to the “Wheel of Banality”. Wheel of Banality, turn, turn, turn. Give us the ending this anime should earn.
And the plot device for the ending is: Culture Festival.
Takamine continues to use her powers to still make herself the all-around favorite in the entire school. So, it’s no contest that everyone voted to do the play Cinderella and have Takamine play the leading role. It’s also in Takamine’s grasp to control Shirota to do things he really doesn’t want to do. To prevent having to put on any more underwear on Takamine, he goes out for the prince of the play. Several problems there! Shirota is up against this popular twat for that very same role. I don’t recall his dumbass name and I really don’t care at this point. No one in the school likes Shirota or they don’t know him. And finally, Shirota got 0 votes and ends up with the role of the prince’s guard.
Okay, good enough.
Come the day of the play, the popular twat gets hurt off-screen. He’s in pretty rough shape. Might have gotten hit by a bus or some shit. Maybe he should go to the hospital. I don’t know, who cares?! Takamine took the matter into her own hands and told Shirota to play the role of the prince. Shirota was a nervous wreck the whole time as he was trying to remember his line. Add to that, every person aside from Takamine hates his guts or doesn’t know of his existence. And then you have Takamine getting angry with him at the drop of the hat. You know how much of a perfectionist this girl is. So, what happened when it was time for Shirota to say his line?
He forgot.
Obviously, Takamine used her Eternal Virgin Road ability, took off her panties and re-did time. Do not ruin the play! Focus on Takamine. And also, put on her panties. That’s pretty much what Takamine told Shirota. Once that happened, the play went on as normal. That was until that popular twat I mentioned not too long ago. The one that got hurt, right?! He bursts out on stage, interrupts the play and states Shirota is a fake prince and that the twat is the real prince. That was indeed a twist even I wasn’t expecting. The kids just go along with this. It’s up to Takamine to choose which prince she believes is real. Takamine picks Shirota and even kisses him. Don’t worry, there’s no development between the two. Takamine is still going to manipulate Shirota at every opportunity and continue using him as a “closet”.
Wow. This anime is Goddamn silly. And it’s for the reason you think it is. There is no way. No Goddamn way that no one ever notices what Shirota is doing every time Takamine wants her underwear put on. This is on a whole ‘nother level of ridiculousness. I thought the desk scene early on was crazy enough. But that was nothing when I see Shirota underneath Takamine’s Cinderella dress putting on underwear while she’s singing a solo. I am just stunned. Absolutely, stunned I tells ya!
Um…I don’t like Takamine. The person. The anime…eh, not my cup of tea. But, as for the subject at hand. I think it’s just severe leftover hatred I have for Satoko Hojo from Higurashi Gou. I just really hate people bending the fabric of time just for petty things. And there is a severe difference between the two characters. At least Takamine wasn’t continuously killing someone, she was just manipulating someone. That’s still not good. Sorry guys, she just turns me off no matter how beautiful she looks and how much pussy and ass we see. Had to get that out there!
Other than that, what can I tell you? It’s a hentai. You know what you’re in for. If you’re into hentai, yes, you might be into this despite it being soft-core. If you don’t like hentai, stay the hell away from it.
Crunchyroll has all 12 episodes available…not uncensored.
I’ve gone back and forth wanting to post this review due to the fact that all my other Blue Exorcist reviews are not on Tumblr and I really don’t feel like going over those old things with a fine-tooth comb.
Blue Exorcist is the story about Rin Okumura, the boy who is the spawn of Satan. Rin has a twin brother named Yukio, but it seems like Rin has the majority of the demon energy. The boy’s world is turned upside-down when their foster parent Fujimoto was possessed by Satan and killed. It was after that, Rin decided to enroll in True Cross Academy in order to become an exorcist. Yukio is there too, but it’s different for him as he is an instructor. At True Cross, Rin was able to make some connections with his classmates also wanting to become some kind of exorcist. There’s Shiemi, Izumo, Bon, Shima, and Konekomaru.
The manga was released in 2009 and has received quite some praise. As for the anime, it can be complicated. The first season was released in 2011 and blessed with a 2-cour season. However, the ending to that season was filled with controversy as it ended things quite differently. Actually, a good 8 episodes or so are not canon with the true story. And aside from a movie in 2013, the anime didn’t come back until 2017. This season left an air of confusion as many fans on all spectrums were wondering if this season would make a connection to the second half of the first season. It did not. And aside from a 2-episode OVA that I doubt even made an American release, Blue Exorcist did not come back for another 7 years.
Yep, just come back seven years later like nothing happened. Like yesterday was just 2017 and nothing of importance has happened since. And if you think my snark is through the roof here, you should hear me talk about Spice and Wolf and Black Butler. I was not kind about the long wait on those either. In late 2023, Blue Exorcist and many other early 2010 animes like Madoka Magica and Black Butler were to be given more content. In this case, a sequel. I’m always down for more Blue Exorcist. I just worry that the next installment won’t come for another 7 years and I’ll be in my 40’s for fuck’s sake.
ILLUMINATI-HEN: This would be our third season. Apparently, there’s a short arc the anime isn’t covering (unless we get an OVA or special episode at the end of the season). Basically, we don’t get much information about the mysterious Illuminati group until a few episodes in. Their goal is to bring upon Satan and kill everything. Mephisto is essentially powerless against these guys, the high-court folks miss the boat, there’s a spy in the school, and the target is Izumo due to her family and ancestry history. At first, it’s made out to be Nemu as the Illuminati spy. Nemu is someone we barely know, rarely see him talk or in action. But he seems to be chattier than normal. Plot twist, it’s Shima who’s the spy.
What?!
I know I’m way behind in reading the manga, but…WHAT?! Girl-crazy Shima?! The boy with a bunch of priests in the family?! That fucking guy?! And has got the nerve to not be shunned and persecuted like Rin! I am all kinds of gobsmacked and angry. At least Rin likes his friends. Shima was already tired of Bon and Konekomaru. I hate him now.
NEW ANIMATION: No, it’s not your imagination. The animation is different from what it was the previous two seasons. A-1 Pictures did this originally and it seems like several animes are jumping ship to other studios. Some of them with positive results. But here, we’ve got Studio VOLN at the helm. Apparently, this studio doesn’t have that many credits to flaunt, however they’re the ones who did I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and I’m feeling a little better about the change. I can still tell the change and there are times where the characters look kinda derpy.
LICENSING: One thing that hasn’t changed was the fact that Aniplex of America has had control over this series from the get-go and still does. And of course, the entire series streamed on Crunchyroll and during the FUNimation renaissance, over there too. Now, one place that never aired Blue Exorcist even though it would have been a perfect fit was Toonami on Adult Swim. They never did! It wasn’t until 2024 (over a decade after it’s debut) did Toonami finally get it’s hands on it.
THE CAST: One thing I always get excited when I learn there’s more Blue Exorcist is hearing the cast. BOTH! Nobuhiko Okumura, Bryce Papenbrook, Jun Fukuyama, and Johnny Yong Bosch are perfection. And besides them, the supporting cast as well. I know that those four are destined to return. Actually, the entire Japanese cast except for Keiji Fujiwara has returned. As we all remember Fujiwara (voice of Fujimoto) passed away back in 2020. But what of the dub?
As it has been 7 years since the last Blue Exorcist release, things have changed in terms of Crunchyroll hiring voice actors. And they are not afraid of replacing someone if the voice actor is part of a certain union. Thankfully, most of my worries were put to rest as it seems like most everyone has returned. Wait, for real?! Yes, for real!
Brian Beacock too? Yes, him too.
Sam Riegal too? Mr. I for-for-forgot my bag! Oh my gosh, my heart is all happy!
Wait, what about Darrel Guilbeau? Yep, he came back to voice Amaimon.
And gasp, dare I even ask, Mona Marshall? SCORE! She’s still in the Blue Exorcist family! Bear with me on this, I just love this cast and Mona Marshall will always be a guilty pleasure for me as I have pretty much heard her voice in so much in the past 40 years, including Tenchi Muyo, Rozen Maiden, Here Come the Littles, and South Park. Yes, you read right, THAT South Park.
A CHARACTER THAT NEEDS TO BE SET ON FIRE: This guy, right here. This fucking doctor. I knew from second-one that this guy was to be hated, that he was going to have an annoying as fuck voice, and that he somehow reminded me of Chudelkin, that little ****-sucker from SAO: Alicization. Yeah, I do censor myself sometimes, but I stand by what I just said about Gedoin. It’s not just the trauma that he has inflicted upon Izumo or the experiments he gleefully conducted on Izumo’s mother. But, this guy goes above and beyond to take unsuspecting people and put them through all kinds of hell. Turning innocent people into zombies or worse.
SHIPPING: So…things kinda go there at times.
Let’s talk about Shiemi first. Ever since season one, we’ve seen Shiemi with both Okumura brothers on missions. But we have to wonder if there’s any kind of romantic inclination with any of the three characters. Rin finally says out loud how he feels about Shiemi (though no one really paid attention as several other characters were under a spell). During the Snow arc, Rin does slip out in front of Shiemi that he likes her. But because both of them were in a close-call situation where they thought they were going to be buried alive; I think Shiemi is going to treat it like a spur of the moment type of confession. Their whole will-they-won’t-they thing builds up during the snow arc, but kinda put on the back-burner when Shiemi goes through her dilemma of really wanting to be an exorcist or not. And then Yukio’s drama. And then Shiemi being kidnapped and we just don’t go there again. Yeah, that whole thing is a mess when we get to the Blue Night saga, but we had other shit to deal with. Not to write that whole season off, but there was one moment between Rin and Shiemi during that arc.
During the Beyond the Snow arc, we get a lot of backstories involving Shura. Because of her ancestor, Shura’s fate has kinda been decided. She’s to find a mate, have a baby, and die at 30. There was one person who Shura has only cared for and it’s Shiro Fujimoto. That age difference is fucking huge especially since Shura wanted Shiro since she was a child. Now that Shiro is dead, is there something between Shura and his two sons? Maybe Rin. Yukio on the other hand was ready to sacrifice himself to save Shura (including impregnating her). But he just claims that he was acting. Sure bro!
But that’s not all with our boy Shiro. During the Blue Night Saga, we get the entire story of Shiro and Yuri (the mother of Rin and Yukio). Yuri looked up to Shiro due to the weird way they met. And for the next couple of years, she wanted to be friends and maybe even more. However, that was not going to be in the cards. A certain satanic force was jealous of anyone around Yuri. And this guy would try at every opportunity to one-up him. But, we do get both characters admit their feelings. It was just at the end of certain things and it’s just one of those tragic ships that were never meant to be.
IZUMO & THE ILLUMINATI: Once you see Izumo’s backstory, it all adds up about her demeanor and how she interacts with other people. Izumo’s family comes from a long-line of priestesses with fox guardians. Apparently, those foxes we see throughout the series respect Izumo’s mother and have made it clear that they will never obey Izumo. They’ve been quite clear on the matter since their debut. Izumo and her sister were shunned due to being illegitimate children to the head priest. This guy has never even seen these kids and Tama (Izumo’s mother) is still loyal to this fucker. Tama ends up losing control and winds up being possessed by a fox demon. Izumo calls for help with the intentions of helping her mother. Help came in the form of the Illuminati, the group willing to bring about the king of darkness Lucifer. This led to the imprisonment of Izumo’s sister, the endless experimental torture on her mother, and Izumo put in a predicament to do as they say or worse will happen.
It doesn’t matter if Izumo denies the help of her classmates, they’re going to come regardless. There hope is to save both Izumo and Shima. Of course, they have no idea that Shima is a fucking back-stabber. Seriously, if there’s even a shred of forgiveness by anyone in the cast (excluding Rin and Shiemi), I’m going to be really pissed. They all learned about what happened to Izumo and her family. When they entered Izumo’s hometown, they stumbled upon something quite disturbing. Many people disappear and are never seen again. Unfortunately, they are turned into zombies. And then there are others that seemed to be merged with other zombies where it just feels like a Nina Tucker situation all over again. I really wish for Dr. Gedoin to be murdered. Rin, Yukio, Shiemi, Bon, and Konekomaru were all split up having to face these scary, yet pitiful creatures alone. But they all managed to escape.
Meanwhile, Gedoin is preparing the extraction of the fox demon from Tama and put it into Izumo. Unfortunately, doing so only had piss-poor percentage rate of success and would result in Izumo’s demise. Gedoin was ready to continue with his experiment and rate of success be damned. A bit of a miracle occurred here as Rin and the others came to save Izumo and her mother Tama mustered enough strength to end the fox demon’s wrath once and for all. In the process, Tama dies, but at least says some kind words to her daughter before passing. On a positive note, Izumo was able to gain back her two fox spirits after it was thought that Shima killed them off. Gedoin did not like any of this and pulls out a disgusting last resort method where he turns into fuck if I know. Rin and Izumo were able to give Gedoin some damage before the bastard escaped. The rest of this was taken care of the characters from the Kyoto-arc including Bon’s father and Shima’s brothers.
In the aftermath, Izumo was given some closure. Her sister whom she was fighting for was saved several years prior. She was given to a loving family, so she has a different name and doesn’t remember Izumo or Tama. Regardless, Izumo is happy to know that she was safe this entire time. Now for the Shima issue. Shima’s brothers and father know all about this and explain the whole thing. Shima is actually a double agent instead of a double-crosser.
So…Shima was recruited to become an Illuminati. His family and Mephisto conspire to have Shima become a spy for the Illuminati to see what is going down. Hmm…I might have to retract a few things I said out of anger. Now, were Shima’s classmates that forgiving when he comes into class after this incident like nothing had happened. No fucking way! Bon headbutted him, Izumo exorcised him, Rin burned off all of his clothes, and Shiemi slapped him for being naked. Pfft, Shiemi is just too precious! Well, we get more of an explanation with Mephisto. I’ve said in the past that I do not trust Mephisto one bit. His dirty mitts being all over several incidents that just didn’t sit right with several people like Bon, Izumo, and Rin. In fact, Rin went face-to-face with Mephisto. Didn’t end well for Rin! It never does end well if you try to go at it with Mephisto.
Now then, we are only have one episode left of this season. Lucifer is still looming despite being quite sickly. And for a bad guy, I give him props for destroying Gedoin. Either we’re getting another season soon to get deep with this particular guy or he’s going to be the worst villain in this franchise’s history if he gets only one episode to shine. For now, I’m just going to be satisfied with watching Gedoin be obliterated. All that was left of him was his hairpiece. Like Ralphie from The Sopranos! If you know, you know! But, the character I hate the most in this arc is dead.
So…let me pay my respects.
So…I guess Shima is going to be trusted by his peers again. I know he’s really a double agent, but there’s a lot of hurt feelings especially when it comes to Bon and Konekomaru. They have known each other since infancy and have gone through some of the most intense scenarios one could be put through. Bon is still going to give him ultimate shit for everything he’s done. But eases up when he sees that Shima and Rin’s minds were corrupted during a bath trip. Shima’s mind is still girl-crazy, so he’s still the same old Shima as he always was.
Oh, and Rin’s thing for Shiemi is confirmed. But no one seems to care! As this season draws to a close, I couldn’t help but notice a lack of the Okumura brothers and their developments. Yeah, Rin was there kicking ass, but I barely noticed Yukio having one of his mental breakdowns like all the other seasons. Oh, that comes at the end when Shima triggers him about Lucian and just how much Yukio can say on certain matters. Before you know it, season’s over and we just have to wait another 6 or 7 years to see…
WHOA, MY GOD! THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT! We only have to wait six months? What kind of witchcraft-voodoo shit is this? Don’t question it, just live with it.
BEYOND THE SNOW SAGA: We wound up with not just one more season after the Illuminati arc, but another one immediately after. Does it more than make up for the fact we all went without Blue Exorcist for so long? I can’t be mad at this so I’ll say yes, it totally does. After the events of last season, Mephisto thinks it’d be best to move the date up for exorcist exams. Due to Lucifer’s presence approaching soon, it’s best for all parties that it be done.
Lewin Light, a small role last season is bumped up to instructor and Bon’s master. I can’t complain as this means more Tomokazu Seki. And we get more angsty Yukio. Yeah, that’s nothing new. He’s been that way since the Kyoto arc. But the bigger focus is on Shura. Since the Illuminati arc, she’s been in and out of the place. Here, we get a lot more insight about her and learn that due to an ancestor, she must bear a child and die at 30 (a few short years from now). Obviously, things work out for Shura and she does survive the ordeal (with a new look no less). I’m not gonna complain. Shura is my favorite character on the show.
Now, this part of the arc did end off earlier than I thought. Leading up to the season finale, we’ve got several key things to deal with. Shiemi goes back and forth with her decision on becoming an exorcist and taking the final exam. It looked like she really was going to go for it, but says, nope, I’ll just root for you guys. Yukio is still the baby brother of brooding. After fighting alongside Shura and Rin, he wound up severely wounded with months of recuperation ahead of him. He ends up yelling at Rin several times and even pulls a gun out on Bon. And as for Bon and Light, they’re inching closer on info involving the illuminati. This hits a little too close to home when they uncover the candidates for host bodies for the evil one and Shiro Fujimoto was one of them.
Again, not the best time for Yukio when he’s in an identity crisis. Yukio is succumbing to the satanic eyeball he’s had since…well, you know. It only gets worse as Yukio threatens one of his students, nearly hurts another one, and when he didn’t get a specific answer from Mephisto, that’s when the straw broke the camel’s back. At this point he’s like a rabid animal. And I seriously want to punch Yukio’s lights out for making Shiemi cry like that. But things go absolutely bonkers by the 11th episode.
Due to recent events where a bunch of demons were attacking out in the open, Mephisto and the prime minister thought it be best to come clean to the public about these strange phenomena happening around (as normal people can’t see the demons). But when Mephisto took the stage, Yukio drew his gun and shot him in the head. This started quite the chain reaction. Mephisto is normally strong enough to survive something as being gunned down. However, his body is weakened due to him alone holding off a gate holding many demons. In his weakened state, that gate diminished. It also goes without saying that Yukio is in deep shit as his actions were broadcast for the whole world to see.
Rin tries his best to confront Yukio, but because of his demon eye (Satan), all of Rin’s attempts are stopped and altered. Yukio ends up joining Shima to the Illuminati, not before dropping news about Shiro. Rin’s body ends up going through a horrific alteration due to his sword and just about everything else going on at the time. But the sword was a very big factor. Thankfully, Rin didn’t disintegrate when taking on so much of Satan’s flames through his body. It’s just that it almost wrecked him and everyone around him. Thanks to Shiemi and Rin’s determination, Rin got control of his body…except a few changes (like his hair).
Okay, now is the time to ask some big questions revolving around your birth, Rin. Yukio asked but didn’t get a straight answer from Mephisto. And Yukio’s been wanting to know and got mad at you for having a meh attitude about wanting to know. So, snap to it! Mephisto gave Rin a key to the past to get his answers about Shiro, his mother, and Satan. And we wait…actually, only a couple of weeks. Yeah, they were very kind about giving us another season immediately after Beyond the Snow.
BLUE NIGHT SAGA: Rin gets to travel back in time! Wait, Blue Exorcist has the capability to do that? Why am I questioning that when a character like Mephisto exists? Rin opens the doors to his mother Yuri’s past and her connection with Shiro and Satan. Each episode we watch Shiro and Yuri grow and become stronger. But as we all know, there will not be a happy ending for either one. And Rin has to learn about the unhappy beginning here.
And unhappy is an understatement. Yuri’s past before hanging out with the knock-off cast of Tokyo Godfathers is shrouded in mystery. She ends up playing with blue flames only she can see because it’s her only friend. That might come back to bite her in the ass one day. As for Shiro, yeah, we saw his files last season. He’s just a test subject that is bred only to become a host body for Lucifer. And no matter what he does to change his fate, he always ends up under the same system. He always tries to flee the system, but always gets caught. And that’s kinda how Yuri and Shiro met. Rin goes from time to time and sees Yuri and Shiro grow up. Watching them interact with friends and each other.
And of course, Yuri meeting Satan, their relationship, Yuri’s choice, and well…you know what happens next.
ENDING: Rin got the front-row seat to everything. From the beginnings, to Satan meeting Yuri, and everything between that. It’s just what Rin saw after he witnesses the birth of himself and Yukio that kinda wrecked him. Yukio came out unable to breathe and almost died. Newborn Rin was (for a lack of a better term) a feral beast burning everything in sight. One of the contributing factors to what was later known as the Blue Night.
Yeah, we saw the newborn Rin burn several folks to death. Rin is aware about this particular night as his friends were affected by it. Bon’s grandfather died. Shima’s eldest brother died (who ends up saving Shima in his final moments). And Konekomaru’s parents also died as a result. His father did that’s for sure. His mother, I’m not so sure of her circumstances as we only see her pregnant with Konekomaru. The point is, Rin is feeling absolutely horrible with what he knows and is almost ready to give it up.For some reason, he hears Shiemi (who was kidnapped by a faction earlier this season) who tells him what’s on her mind. Yeah, this was a bit of a blink and you’ll miss it moment as it does come in between the flashbacks.
Eventually, we see the aftermath of Rin and Yukio’s birth. Yuri only got a couple of hours with her newborn sons before dying. Shiro was in a shitty state where he almost wanted to welcome death’s sweet embrace. Hey dude, you’ve got 15 years left before that happens. Speaking of, let’s just say Satan was laying dormant inside Shiro waiting for the right moment to strike, take over, and well, he’ll die.
In the final episode, we see Rin and Yukio grow up as Shiro watches after these Satanic boys. Yukio’s a crybaby, Rin’s a fiery little shit, and Shiro has a time-limit before having his body taken over by Satan. Rin’s hair also unexplainably turns from blue to black while younger. And we finally make it to the events of the very first episode. It all comes back full circle for both the audience and present-day Rin. He sees it all. Realizing he’s worth living. That his mother and Shiro, hell, he’s his father regardless of the circumstances! Rin is thankful for Shiro and all he’s done for Yukio and even says so. Next stop, Yukio.
No sequel in sight.
I shouldn’t be greedy. In an 18-month time-span, Aniplex gave us three seasons of Blue Exorcist after a seven-year wait. That’s a lot for them. It’s just that if we wait too long, we’ll forget key details like why Yukio is a brooding shit or why Shiemi got kidnapped or why Rin’s hair changed colors.
Okay…so, where do I begin? The Illuminati arc was definitely a great start after such a long time without Blue Exorcist. Really, my only gripe was getting used to the animation. It became less of a problem as the next two seasons came around. But story wise, I was glad to learn more about a character who up to this point I could take or leave. Izumo has kinda always left a bad taste in my mouth from the get-go. The Illuminati arc changed some of that.
Beyond the Snow had a lot of moments where things just kinda fell flat for me. Although, I did like seeing Shura’s backstory. And it’s not the anime’s fault. This is where the story went and important things had to be told before we could get to the good stuff. And that was to give us the TRUE story between Shiro and Yuri. I know a lot of people frown upon most anime-only endings, but what we were given in episodes 22-25 from season one wasn’t all bad. But having the flashback arc be an entire season was really helpful to faithful fans.
I know it’s been a hard road for Blue Exorcist anime fans these last several years when the first season started out so promising. Let’s just say, it lost a lot of steam after the movie and even after the second season in Kyoto. And the several-year wait for each season did not help the matter one bit. Giving us three seasons almost all at once was…well, it was a good boost for fans of the anime. But will it be enough? The manga is still on-going. Chances are, we could be in for a long wait again for any more content anime-wise. I, myself should not complain about any of this. I picked up the manga years ago and have yet to even come close to where the anime is. So, if I want more, I can just go ahead and read. And if you find yourself craving more Blue Exorcist and have already watched these, I suggest you do the same.
If you would like to watch the entire series of Blue Exorcist, Crunchyroll has all five seasons available with the sub or dub of your choice. I’m a dub girl for this particular anime. But that’s just me. There are several things missing from the Crunchyroll catalog and that includes a couple of OVA specials and the movie.
Every so often, I will rely on my randomizer to choose an anime. Sometimes, I get some welcome surprises like Tokyo Revengers, Bocchi the Rock, or anything from the World Masterpiece Theater collection. This is not one of those happy times.
Umaru Doma is what you would call a model student. She usually gets perfect scores on her tests, is loved and envied by her classmates, and occasionally does well in sports despite not being on any team. This is all for public show. Once she gets home, she becomes a junk-food eating, anime-watching, hamster-looking sloth. Her brother Taihei is the only one who knows Umaru’s true nature as she keeps a “Miss Perfect” appearance when out in public.
And…that’s it. Umaru, the cautionary tale for every otaku.
BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Sentai Filmworks was the one who licensed and dubbed this one. Aside from the 4-panel specials, I mainly relied on the dub to watch the show. I liked it. Despite how I feel about Sentai’s dubs, there are a couple of voice actors that occasionally stand out in their performances here. I always forget how much I love Emily Neves. There are some roles where I hear her and it’s a total shock because I never know it’s her sometimes. She has such a range. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.
JAPANESE CAST:
*Umaru is played by Ami Tanaka (known for Ryuzu on Re:Zero)
*Taihei is played by Kenji Nojima (known for Mamoru on Sailor Moon Crystal, Eiji on Banana Fish, Natsuya on Free!, Keisaku on Shakugan no Shana, Ginoza on Psycho Pass, and Kiba on High School DxD)
ENGLISH CAST:
*Umaru is played by Emily Neves (known for Sylph on Mushoku Tensei, Eri on My Hero Academia, Minene on Mirai Nikki, Kotomi on Clannad, Kanade on Angel Beats, and Kumin on Chunibyo)
*Taihei is played by Adam Noble (known for Ennoshita on Haikyuu)
DISLIKED CHARACTER: I was warned. Watching this particular anime was going to cause me to hate not only the titular main character, but every otaku to ever exist as well. Impossible! I still like Konata Izumi and that’s never going to change. Plus, I’m what you might consider an otaku and that would mean I hate myself. Joke’s on you, I already hate myself!
But in all seriousness, I do hate the living fuck out of Umaru. Watching this annoying twat makes me reevaluate my life and ask myself if I’m just as bad as this character.
No. Not a chance.
SHIPPING: So, the shipping that comes up is between Umaru’s brother and best friend. Nana came from the country and lives just down stairs from Taihei and Umaru. I find it funny that Nana doesn’t notice the ruckus coming from upstairs because Umaru is loud as fuck. Ever since moving in down stairs, Nana always gets flustered whenever around Taihei. It wasn’t until the middle of season two when one of the girls caught onto Nana having feelings for Taihei. I think it was Kirie.
But, because this is the type of anime it is, I expect no kind of romance to flourish or sail away to any kind of special degree.
END OF SEASON ONE: Beach episode! Umaru gets inspired to want to take a beach trip by watching a car commercial. As one does, I suppose. Taihei is actually on board with this idea. So much so that he was willing to test-drive a car and then rent a car. That was until he got severe anxiety from driving despite passing his test and having a license. Thankfully, Taihei’s idiot friend Bomber took on the driving responsibilities. So, the trip consisted of Umaru, Taihei, Bomber, and Umaru’s two classmates Nana and Kirie.
Now, this is where things get complicated. Umaru’s relationship with Kirie is only on a classroom basis. When Umaru is in her sloth-hamster mode and Kirie is in the room, she is known as “Komaru” Umaru’s little sister. Apparently, the characters of this show are dumber than a sack of hammers as Kirie can’t tell that Umaru and Komaru are the same freakin’ person. Then again, this is one of those anime logic moments and I shouldn’t question it and go with the flow with the rest of these idiots. It’s not just the whole Umaru/Komaru issue, but Kirie is actually on a trip with her brother. Unknown to everyone else, Kirie and Bomber are siblings. And for the episode, Bomber has no clue that his sister is there (mostly because she’s quiet and wears a hat through the episode’s entirety).
As this is a season finale, you would think that there would be some sort of revelation coming from Umaru. She came close to telling Kirie that she’s really “Komaru” but decided not to. Kirie ended up telling Umaru that she and Bomber are siblings and that things have been frosty with their relationship as of recent. Because Bomber showed up to the school’s opening ceremony instead of her parents and Kirie kicked his ass, Kirie ended up with a bad reputation at school. She ends up opening up to Umaru by saying that “Komaru” and Taihei have been good to her and that she’s starting to become better friends with her and Nana. And then, Sylphin happened to be at the beach too.
Just a reminder here, Umaru is hiding from Sylphin too except it’s much different from with Bomber and Kirie. Sylphin would occasionally run into Umaru, but doesn’t know it’s her. Umaru is known as UMR when she’s disguised to buy things outside the home. And because of a common interest, Sylphin and UMR get along well. But don’t worry, none of that crap comes up in this finale.
S: Hey, were you interested in watching 2-minute segments of every character in chibi form with no regard to the plot or that several characters who don’t know about Umaru’s double and triple life are just hanging with otaku chibi-sized Umaru? Too bad, you’re getting it anyways!
OVA: Usual kinds of shenanigans; Taihei’s birthday, a Halloween night, shameless manga promoting, and a random sighting of Miku Hatsune’s doppelganger.
But then, the second OVA decides to get a little serious as Umaru is giving serious thought into letting Nana, Kirie, and Sylphin know about everything. Nana is pretty oblivious and misses so many moments of Umaru slipping up with her real persona. Kirie still thinks Komaru is Umaru’s little sister. And Sylphin hasn’t made the connection that Umaru and UMR are the same person. So, Umaru gave it a lot of thought to let her friends know that she is really Komaru and UMR. Does she do this? Of course not! What kind of silly question is that? Although, the second episode came out around the same time season two came out. So, I feel like that answers my questions even without watching season two.
SEASON TWO: Same old crap. Umaru is still a lazy shit at home, puts up a façade in front of her friends at school, and no one is the wiser. Let’s add another person to the mix. This season, we are introduced to Alex. To Umaru, he’s another otaku to talk to. To Taihei and Bomber, he’s another workmate. Little do they know, Alex is Sylphin’s older brother. Well, Umaru seems to know. Whether the rest of the cast catches on is up to the creator. There’s also this tiny, white-haired girl named Hikari who gets excellent marks in school like Umaru. Hikari is in A.P. courses at school and is a year below Umaru. And just like Sylphin, Umaru, and Kirie, Hikari has an older sibling that works with their siblings. So which persona will Hikaru know Umaru for?
Actually…she knows about her secret. It’s just that Hikari is far more interested in spending time with Taihei. Hikari is also a lot like Umaru.
The final episode looks to be regular shenanigans but surrounding the Christmas and New Years holiday. And before you ask, no, Umaru doesn’t reveal to anyone about who and what she really is. Only Taihei (and to a lesser extent Hikari) will know that Umaru is cola-chugging, anime-watching, hamster-emulating, lazy-ass imouto.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t hate this like I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, Umaru is an annoying imouto and well-deserving of my disliked character spot. I think it was the second season where it felt like she seemed a little more tolerable. Or maybe it’s just that the stories seemed more focused on Umaru at school, with her friends (as Umaru), or as UMR with Sylphin.
Now, here comes the recommendation part. I recommend that you watch the anime His and Her Circumstances (or Kare Kano). That came out of left field. Let me explain. Yukino from Kare Kano is a bit like Umaru as she’s an over-achiever at school, but all of that is a façade as she’s totally different at home. Aside from that, there really isn’t anything else connecting these two animes. I just felt like giving this particular anime some love. Can I be nice about Umaru for once? Fine. The ending was better on Umaru than Kare Kano because it wasn’t crapped out by Gainax.
Tread with caution as this anime has never gotten a positive reputation. Rightly so! Umaru is annoying as fuck. Hidive has the episodes available for streaming.
Okay, time to watch some more anime licensed by Sentai Filmworks.
I picked this one up through the randomizer. I’m sure it can’t be as irritating as Umaru-chan.
Time to take a step away from the World Masterpiece Theater classics and into one that I’m jumping into blind-folded. Let’s go through my usual scanning process and…
*5 minutes later*
Wait, wait, wait! Let me get this straight. There’s an anime that’s essentially the Blues Brothers. It was licensed by ADV and voiced by the holy trinity of voice actors; Greg Ayres, Luci Christian, and Chris Patton.
AND is directed by Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabi who also makes frequent appearances just like in Excel Saga?! This fucking guy?! Where the fuck have I been the last 19 years?
We’ve got the loud brother Hideki, the stoic brother Ichiro, and their vain cousin Mako. They run a daikon radish farm together. But these three have bigger dreams like one day opening up a concert hall where they can perform for big crowds with their band the Nerima Daikon Brothers. However, money has always been an issue. And they don’t have much to start on their dreams. Sometimes, they do things that aren’t right or kosher, hell or legal. They gotta get that money one way or another. They borrow money from the ATM, get a snappy song in the process, but end up broke in the end. They rent items from a man whose face we don’t see, but it’s totally Nabeshin. They save the day with those rentals, but end up blowing it one way or another.
There’s also a panda that’s there. It’s a Nabeshin anime, you’re going to get a cute animal. Just be happy the main characters aren’t going to try and eat it like in Excel Saga.
BETWEEN THE…
Nope. And you know why. Say it with me now! “FUCK THE SUB, THIS SHIT’S GOT CHRIS PATTON!” If this is a 90’s or 2000’s anime and licensed by ADV Films, chances are it’s going to star Luci Christian, Greg Ayres, and/or Chris Patton. In this anime’s case, it’s got all three doing the top billing. Now hold on a minute everyone, you have to remember that this anime is a musical. And when I mean musical, the cast sings. And when I mean the cast sings, the entire cast sings. And when I mean…you know where I’m going with this. English cast sings. But it’s a silly anime. This is the company that dubbed Excel Saga after all. It can be forgiven if you hate it. I personally don’t hate it.
And now for the unfortunate part to this portion of the review. This anime is currently in license limbo. As we all know, ADV Films died out years ago. Shortly after, FUNimation licensed this gem. But soon after let the license expire. And no one has it for streaming. Not Crunchyroll, not Hidive, not even Retro Crush. You would think that Sentai would have nabbed this one up or Crunchyroll would have aired it like it did with Ghost Stories and Excel Saga. Oh well! Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.
JAPANESE CAST:
*Hideki is played by Shigeru Matsuzaki
*Ichiro is played by Shoutarou Morikubo (known for Shikamaru on Naruto, Bartolomeo on One Piece, Kisaki on Tokyo Revengers, Zagred on Black Clover, and Iwata on Excel Saga)
*Mako is played by Ayano Niina (known for Mammon on Umineko)
ENGLISH CAST:
*Hideki is played by Greg Ayres (known for Kaoru on Ouran HSHC, Sunohara on Clannad, Kouji on My Hero Acadmia, Nagisa on Free!, Negi on Negima, Hiro on Ef – A Tale of Memories, and Nishinoya on Haikyuu)
*Ichiro is played by Chris Patton (known for Greed on FMA, Asura on Soul Eater, Hajime on Ghost Stories, Sato on Welcome to the NHK, Oikawa on Haikyuu, Yuuichi on Kanon, and Ayato on Diabolik Lovers)
*Mako is played by Luci Christian (known for Hiro on Fruits Basket 2019, Wrath on FMA, Truth on FMA: Brotherhood, Nami on One Piece, Alois on Black Butler II, Yukari on Azumanga Daioh, and Huni on Ouran HSHC)
DISLIKED CHARACTER: I know that one of the brothers is a host at a certain kind of club. But I was just really uncomfortable watching the scenes in the first episode involving a “hot dog”. So for that reason alone, the production company guy. No. Just no to this guy! This guy got what was coming to him. Phrasing!
SHIPPING: I’ll keep my mouth shut about the whole she’s your cousin thing. Because at this point of my watching anime (non) career, it’s moot due to all of the incest I’ve watched. Plus, this is a Nabeshin production. It’s all wacky if not over-the-top-raunchy.
Although, I could do without so much of the panda love. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing Chris Patton singing about the panda. I’m losing credibility with every word I write here.
But yeah, there’s a lot of cousin love and panda love here. Hideki loves Mako and goes over the top to declare his love for Mako in nearly every episode. As for Mako, she loves her other cousin Ichiro. Ichiro kinda dodges everything in life with the blasé attitude he’s known for. Ichiro even goes above and beyond by singing a song that describes how he’s not interested in Mako. I seriously had Chowder x Panini vibes watching that moment.
But then, there’s this police woman that’s always on the brother’s tail. Yukika has a thing for Ichiro much like Mako does. And they do fight over him. But Yukika also has a small thing for that fucking panda. See?! What did I tell you about the panda love in this show?!
ENDING: In the final couple of episodes, there was a bit of a split in the brothers. Hideki was getting suckered by this weirdo wearing a pot. This guy wants the deed to the Nerima Daikon farm. Meanwhile, Mako is getting suckered by another weirdo who wants the deed to the daikon farm. And this…Ugh…
And this ladies and gentlemen is Yuukel Hakushon. Yes, he has a Picasso face. Yes, he’s dressed like Peter Pan. Yes, his nose comes off more than once. Yes, there are zombies dancing next to him. So yes, he is the quintessential character you throw in mid-2000s shows to make fun of Michael Jackson. I can’t even begin to tell you how much all of those jokes bugged the shit out of me. And I shouldn’t talk as I did make a lot of jokes surrounding the man back in the day. But watching it so many times really did annoy me. The only exception to all of that was Mr. Jefferson on South Park. That episode is just iconic.
Okay, Mike McFarland did a good job voicing this guy. Pearl point for him.
Back to the ending. With Hideki and Mako gone, Ichiro has been lonely and worried about the fate of not only the farm, but his relationship with his brother and cousin. But the plan for pothead and Jacko rip-off to get the farm diplomatically went right out the window when a flying city hall comes in and zaps them. The prime minister of Japan comes in and is ready to take the Nerima brother’s farm. He wanted those two underlings to do it, but now it’s time for this guy to get serious.
We’re at the finale and I’m expecting something absolutely bat-shit, off the wall, crazy to happen. Nabeshin was the one who did give us that final episode of Excel Saga after all. Compared to Excel Saga, it was pretty tame. Don’t get me wrong, everything about this show is what I expect to come from Nabeshin’s brain (and afro). The prime minister sent everything to try and keep the brothers down and just take their property. There was even a final fight against the prime minister’s cronies versus Hideki, Mako, Ichiro, a horde of pandas, the random dancers you see when a character goes to an ATM, and even, yes, Nabeshin. Just like in every episode up to this point, Nabeshin gives the trio something to combat whatever they’re fighting. This time, it's a microphone. Once more, they get a rental from a guy who’s mental and save their asses.
They were able to get rid of the prime minister and his cronies. And they were able to turn everyone back to normal after the prime minister used a weird ray turning everyone into lions. However, the stage Hideki, Ichiro, and Mako built on the farm was destroyed. Their dream of having a stage and sing the blues will be fulfilled one day. They’re just going to continue chasing the dream and harvesting daikon in the meantime.
Holy shit, this was indeed something. First of all, I’m thrilled that this anime’s finale wasn’t as balls-to-the-wall crazy like Excel Saga. Though, I think Nabeshin got in trouble with Excel Saga’s finale that this time it had to be tame. By the looks of this, you think I’m going to give this a full speed ahead recommendation here. Not so fast, pal! You have to know what you’re getting into otherwise face being gobsmacked with the WTF.
If you are a fan of the 1980’s classic The Blues Brothers, keep an open mind. This is an anime after all. The cast isn’t going to have the voices that match Akroyd or Belushi. Second, this is by all accounts a musical. Characters are going to break out and sing at any moment. There are several songs per episode. Not everyone is a fan of that. Third, Nabeshin animes are an acquired taste. It can be nonsensical, inside-y jokey, and parody.
With all of that said, it’s your call to make if you want to watch it. And it’s also the internet’s call if you can find it as this series is currently not streaming anywhere and the DVD might be out of print after so much time.
I think we all know who Rumiko Takahashi is. Right? One of Japan’s finest mangaka’s. Creator of great stories like Maison Ikkoku, InuYasha, Urusei Yatsura, and of course Ranma ½. And…
Ugh…I gotta get this off my chest. Ever since we hit 2020, every time I see news involving one of Rumiko’s stories, it’s been either a sequel or a reboot. And seeing as this is the third one in four years, I’m a little concerned that one reboot might be around the corner that I will dread its arrival. In short, please don’t reboot InuYasha. If you’re going to reboot another classic, go for Maison Ikkoku. I don’t want to go on the defensive again and claim that the older series is not bad and it’s actually quite good. I’ve done it before with other animes like Full Metal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, and Hellsing. The original series to those three mentioned are great and I will not stand for bad-mouthing of any one of them.
But onto Ranma ½! Obviously, InuYasha was my very first Rumiko anime. But Ranma ½ was something I started sometime after InuYasha’s final act finished. The anime was created by the same woman, a lot of the characters felt similar to InuYasha, funny, quirky, many love triangles, and even had some of the same cast. Kappei Yamaguchi played both Ranma and InuYasha. Even in the English dub, Richard Ian Cox played both characters (eventually). Knowing all that, I knew I was going to enjoy myself here. I wasn’t wrong, I did. InuYasha is still my favorite out of the Rumiko universe, but Ranma ½ was definitely #2 for me.
The original Ranma ½ manga began in 1987 and ran for nine years. The television series aired two years later and lasted for 161 episodes, along with several movies and OVA’s. So, much like Urusei Yatsura, it was decided to be given a reboot for this new generation of anime watchers. But unlike Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½ will be given the same voice cast (for the most part). And where Urusei Yatsura got David Production to animate it, Ranma ½ has studio MAPPA.
You know, the same mother fuckers that gave us Yuri on Ice and snatched it away. I’m not over it and never will be. Yeah, that’s right! I’m gonna be 100% that bitch crying crazy at MAPPA for that one fuck up. The rest of the world will know MAPPA as the ones behind the fourth season of Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man. Okay, onto the story!
Soun Tendou is the head of the Tendou Martial Arts dojo. He’s also the father of three young daughters, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane. One day, Soun gets a letter from an old friend (Genma Saotome) saying he and his son are coming and one of Soun’s daughters will be betrothed to his old friend’s son Ranma Saotome. Soun’s hopes are for the family legacy to continue. The day Soun’s friend was to arrive was anything but normal. A giant panda and a young girl named Ranma Saotome arrives. But wait! Isn’t Ranma a boy? Don’t worry, everything will be explained soon and it’s every bit of absurd as you remembered.
Ranma is a boy and a girl. Watch this get canceled by MAGA really quick! Whenever Ranma gets wet with cold water, he turns into a female. Ranma’s father also has a strange anomalies with him as well. When Genma gets wet he turns into a panda. While training in China, both fell in a cursed lake that altered their bodies. However, they can both change back with hot water. And as the story goes on, there will be several characters that have the same problem. But we’ll get there when we get there.
Soun’s youngest daughter Akane is not happy by any of this. First, she’s pissed that she is being pushed onto a boy she just met. Second, she hates boys! And third, this whole situation is just too much for her. Very valid reasons here to be honest. Oh well. Suck it up because Akane and Ranma are going to be in this for the long haul.
THE SUB: Yes, yes, InuYasha and Ranma have the same voice in the Japanese. He also plays Rinne's father too. Moving on!
As I said before, as long as a cast member isn’t dead, retired, or #MeToo they are going to be in this reboot. That and you cannot have this anime without Megumi Hayashibara and Kappei Yamaguchi voicing both Ranmas. But most of the cast has returned like the voices for Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, Ryoga, and Shampoo. Genma’s original voice actor (Kenichi Ogata) did not come back to voice Genma. However, they got him to voice the Narrator. Oddly enough, the dub did something similar to that. But, we’ll get there. They got the equally talented Cho to play Genma Saotome. And I’m okay with that!
As for newer voice actors, yes, there are a lot of familiar folks. Mamoru Miyano plays that horn-dog ice skater, Mikado. Aoi Yuki plays Mikado’s ice-skating partner, Azusa. Okay, that’s funny having the voices of Cilan and Iris together again. Tomokazu Sugita blesses this anime by playing the abrasive Kuno becoming the third person to play this character as the previous two have passed away. And finally, there is an anime only character here. This is the person you see commentating on any kind of fight that goes down at school. And that honor goes to the greatest seiyuu in the universe, Tomokazu Seki! Perfection right here! Getting the same guy who plays Meito Anizawa is just S-tier greatness.
And you thought I was going to bring up Tracey here. I know I just did. But that’s beside the point. This is a Medea review. You all know I’m bound to do that.
LICENSING AND THE DUB: If you notice a nice pattern here, most of Rumiko Takahashi’s works are licensed by Viz Media and then distributed to the masses. Even the manga to many of them. I had the highest of hopes that Viz would license it, Crunchyroll would stream it, and then Crunchyroll would work with Ocean Group to put out a dub. You know, just like with Yashahime most recently. While most of the cast from Ocean Group hasn’t been heard from in years or died, people like Richard Ian Cox, David Kaye, and Willow Johnson are very much alive and kicking.
But then Netflix…
Yeah, you know how it’s going to go from there. I still haven’t forgiven them for their dub to Evangelion. But I will not write them off with their dubs as they have done some great dubs including Violet Evergarden, Aggretsuko, Carole & Tuesday, Dandadan, and many others. And they got J. Michael Tatum. That’s a big thumbs up there! Yeah, I fold easily once I hear Tatum is in an anime. I am just not used to Ranma’s voice here. I know Richard Ian Cox wasn’t even Ranma until partial-way into the original dub, but that’s what I’ve grown to like. The one person from the original Ranma ½ dub they got was David Kaye. He originally played Soun Tendou, but is now voicing the narrator. At least it gives him some more work outside Sesshomaru and Last Week Tonight w/ John Oliver.
You read right; David Kaye has been on that program for the last 10 years. You’re welcome!
And now, some other stuff. I love the dubs that Ocean Group and their subsidiaries put out. No one is denying that. However, some groups of people have not been happy with how they dub certain characters with thick accents. I think it was Shampoo here and Shenhua from Black Lagoon that got the most complaints. I will admit, Shampoo sounds a lot better here than in the original. And that’s all I’ll say because I try to stay out of the fight of having characters of color played by people of color. As a person of color, I have many thoughts on the matter and let’s leave it at that. On with the review!
Here’s the new English cast.
*Ranma ♂ is played by David Errigo Jr.
*Ranma ♀ is played by Suzie Yeung (known for Makima on Chainsaw Man, Shizuka on Mushoku Tensei, Milize on 86, Sumi on Rent-A-Girlfriend, Ayumu on Love Live Nijigasaki, and Amane on Demon Slayer)
*Akane is played by Valeria Rodriguez
*Genma is played by Fred Tatasciore
*Ryoga is played by Damien Haas (known for Kudou on My Happy Marriage)
*Shampoo is played by Grace Lu (known for Hana on Sakamoto Days)
SHIPPING: It’s a Rumiko classic. Get ready for some love-polygons because there’s going to be many of them.
Akane x Ranma is of course the main ship. They hate each other at the beginning and there’s a lot of bickering for the most part. You know, like another anime couple that debuted a decade after these two. And another anime couple that debuted a few years before these two. Rumiko is formulaic at times, but I ain’t complaining. As I said in the synopsis, Akane has an immense hatred of the opposite sex (with one exception). At school, she is constantly hit on or challenged by boys. And then you add Ranma to this mix and…adding Ranma just gained more trouble. Akane and Ranma both have fathers who want them to hook up. Leaving out my thoughts on arranged marriages, Akane wants nothing to do with this. Then you add Ranma’s condition and that’s all kinds of messed-up troubles. Ranma’s new to this being a girl thing and is fine with walking around naked. Akane is not having this shit! So, in terms of this season…while they do have a few moments here and there, wait a little longer to see this progress.
Tatewaki Kuno: Along with several other rough-tough boys at school, this man has an infatuation with Akane. And Akane has turned him down every single time. His jealousy does get the better of him when Ranma’s around. But when Kuno meets Female Ranma, let’s just say he falls for her too. But he doesn’t give up on Akane knowing that the “pig-tailed girl” is out there.
I don’t know about you, but I support him with Nabiki.
Dr. Tofu: The young doctor that the Tendou family has relied on for many years. And despite being several years older than Akane and being a guy, she likes him. Dr. Tofu doesn’t seem to notice that because there’s another Tendou sister that has his attention. Tofu is definitely crushing on Kasumi Tendou. Speaking of the that, whenever Kasumi is in the room, Dr. Tofu all of a sudden forgets how to do basic shit.
Ryoga: This man has got to have the worst sense of direction of any anime character. Yes, worse than Leon from Pokemon. But when he appears, he comes with a knuckle-sandwich for Ranma. But as for shipping, Ryoga has a bit of a crush on Akane. He’s the only one who has slept with Akane. Oh, let me explain. Much like Ranma, Ryoga suffered a fate in one of those cursed lakes in China. When he gets wet, he turns into a little piggy. Whenever Akane sees the little piggy, she doesn’t put two and two together that this is Ryoga. Ryoga is P-chan and Akane loves P-chan. But not in that sick way like in that Inukai's dog anime.
That anime makes me think again about suicide. Moving on.
Kodachi Kuno: Oh yeah, this crazy bitch. One of Kuno’s crazy family members (yes, they’re all certifiably crazy). This is Kuno’s sister. She’s heavily into rhythm gymnastics. Has an unhealthy passion for stalking her competition. And is crazy in love with Ranma. She even paralyzed him and tried to kiss him on a roof. Now, you would think Kuno would be mad at Ranma for his sister’s infatuation. Quite the opposite, Kuno is fine with it. Less competition for Akane…but he still likes the “pig-tailed girl” too. The Kuno family is nuts.
Sanzenin: I absolutely forgot about this guy and his skating partner’s existence. Not gonna lie! Much like Kuno, he has a softness for pretty girls. But while Kuno will only pull out bouquets of flowers from nowhere and declare his undying love, Sanzenin is more impulsive. This guy kissed Ranma on the lips. Yes, it was the female Ranma. He was not too happy by this. Not including the kiss of death Ranma got from Shampoo, I do believe this was his very first kiss. Again, not happy about any of this.
Shampoo: Oh yeah, shit goes down here. Shampoo is a Chinese amazon where martial arts is high in her family with many traditions. Ranma inadvertently crossed paths with Shampoo while in China and defeated her in combat. Because Ranma was in his female form, Shampoo gave him the kiss of death. Meaning, she will not stop until (female) Ranma is dead. Shampoo even traveled to Japan to kill him, but met with real Ranma and once again accidentally defeated her. Shampoo kisses Ranma, but this time it’s a declaration of love.
CENSORSHIP: Oh yes, there is A LOT censored here. Long-time Rumiko fans know that some of her older works had a lot of risqué things. Lum was everyone’s 80’s waifu with her skimpy outfit. There was one character on Maison Ikkoku who would wear see-through negliges where you could see her nipples like in every scene she was in (including the opening theme). And Ranma was also guilty of giving us a nipple or two every so…well, more often than not. Ranma is a boy and clearly has no shame walking around without a shirt on. When he’s in girl-mode, it’s not so modest.
Plus, most of the time he gets wet, he does have to go into the shower to turn back to normal. Yeah, there’s a lot of bath and shower scenes. Maybe Netflix wasn’t the right choice in the licensing department when you see they were not only going to censor nipples, but also the word “China” and even butt-cracks. Come on now, even Crunchyroll keeps the butt-cracks! They just add unneeded beams of light to that. Honestly, the only ones who would have given us uncensored Ranma ½ would have been Discotek or Sentai Filmworks. Keep in mind, those are the companies that gave us Kiss x Sis and Redo of Healer.
END OF SEASON ONE: Wait, I thought this was going to be a two-cour season. Oh well, they announced a second season shortly after so I shouldn’t complain. Thankfully, we got the introduction of Shampoo before the season ended. Shampoo is one of the biggest love rivals in this anime. She comes in ready to kill female Ranma due to her family tradition and the kiss of death she gave her, but ends up falling in love with male Ranma after losing to him in combat. However, Shampoo was not pleased with Akane’s existence around Ranma and gave her the kiss of death. Shampoo vs. Akane went in a weird direction. Shampoo is a formidable opponent strength wise. But she didn’t use much strength to take out Akane. She used a special shampoo to brainwash Akane into forgetting Ranma’s existence.
They don’t call her Shampoo for nothing.
Thankfully, Akane’s amnesia was broken thanks to Ranma’s insults about Akane. Shampoo however isn’t through here as she is determined to have Ranma all to herself. That’s when Ranma decided to do something bold. In front of Shampoo, Ranma voluntarily poured cold water on himself to reveal to Shampoo that he and female Ranma are one in the same. It’s just that he says the male side is temporary. This kind of broke her heart and she left Ranma. And that’s how the season ended. Ryoga and Ranma discussing what had just happened. And, we’ll get season two whenever we get it.
But don’t worry, that’s not the end of Shampoo. Not by a long-shot! We still haven’t seen her secret nor have met her grandmother.
So, not a bad start. I was hesitant, but I’m enjoying the reboot so far. Of course, I’m looking forward to the upcoming season(s) as there are many other characters not introduced like Cologne, Pantyhose Taro, Mousse, (my personal favorite) Ukyo, and the grand pooba of perverts, Happosai. The dub actually grew on me. I might even say, I like it a bit more than the original. I know it’s blasphemy to say that, but it could be just my rose-colored nostalgia glasses clogging up everything. Although, if we do see Mousse and Ukyo soon, I want them voiced by Brad Swaile and Kelly Sheridan again.
I KNOW IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Fine, I fully admit that. But you know you could get them. They are still voice acting. And they are great fucking voice actors!
But I do have to wonder how long this reboot is going to last. Many of Rumiko’s works are lengthy, even when you get rid of the fillers. I’m not even sure the reboot to Urusei Yatsura is even finished with what they attend to animate. The original Ranma ½ manga was over 400 chapters long. If the studios and animators are willing to give the public the full story, I’m all for it and will happily watch it.
Now for recommendations! If you’re a fan of the original Ranma ½, while this story is far from finishing and has a long way to go, it’s a good start. For fans of Rumiko’s other works like InuYasha, Urusei Yatsura, Rinne, and Maison Ikkoku, this is definitely for you especially if you watch these stories for shipping purposes. Rumiko loves the complicated love polygons. If you are a fan of comedy anime, absolutely check this out. And if you wandered over here and just learned about this anime and find it offensive that a boy turns into a girl and jump to every wrong conclusion, go away. FAR away from here. And never return.
This ain’t for you, fool.
In the meantime, you can check out Ranma ½ (2024) on Netflix.
And if you have a lot of time on your hands, there seems to be several outlets streaming the original Ranma ½ series including; Hulu, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Tubi.
